Religious Studies is proud to announce 2019 winners of the Donna Swaim International Award for Religious Studies: Amelia Symm and Robert Lisak.
The Donna Swaim International Award for Religious Studies enables academically-prepared Religious Studies majors to study the religions of the world in the context of their cultures, through study abroad opportunities. This fund was established in 2014, to honor Professor Donna Swaim’s 50 years of teaching and service at the University of Arizona.
This award will support Amelia's participattion in a Directed Research Project studying archaeological methods and history at the Poggio del Molino field school in Populonia, Italy and Robert's opportunity to help create a cutting edge digital media collection as part of the Hangzhou Buddhist Culture project in Hangzhou, China.
Congratulations, Amelia and Robert!
Read (in their words) how traveling as part of their Religious Studies major will enrich their lives and studies:
Amelia Symm:
I personally want to study abroad so that I might not only gain more archaeological field experience, but that I might be able to better communicate as a citizen of a global society. The opportunity to study abroad is open to all students and should be seriously considered as a life-changing event that presents many differing avenues of learning, both within and outside of the classroom through cultural interaction.
Robert Lisak:
My fundamental reason for study is to find commonality in humanity and to be an active agent to bridge the gaps that seem to exist between so many people. I hope to continue to pave the road for a new level of cross-cultural understanding and share what I learn with anyone I meet.