Originally posted: June 2008
Over the last couple of quarters the Center has worked closely with The Killam Fellowships Program in Ottawa, Canada to create a MOU that will enhance study-abroad opportunities for UW students. The agreement will enable two to four undergraduates to study at a Canadian partner institution for a semester or academic year. The Fellowships are worth up to $10,000 annually.
Modeled much like the Fulbright award, the fellowship includes a fall orientation in Ottawa, Canada, a spring seminar in Washington, DC, and boasts a very active alumni group.
The Center is pleased to announce the first two Killam Fellows – Lucas Olson and Reva Robinson. Lucas is a senior majoring in International Studies and Economics. His interests include international relations, politics, social activism, and humanitarianism. Lucas will study at the University of Victoria this fall. Reva Robinson is an Honors student in the Linguistics Undergraduate program. Her interests include phonetics, phonology and German language, and she intends to pursue her master’s degree in computational linguistics. She will spend fall quarter at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario.
“Having been raised in Seattle, I have always lived just a short distance from the Canadian border but I have never been able to travel much farther than Vancouver,” said Reva. “I am excited to have the opportunity to explore more of Canada through the Killam Foundation. More than simply gaining life experience in Canada, I will be able to enrich my studies at the Queen’s University Linguistics Department and collaborate with my peers to understand the mystery of human language.”
Lucas Olson, International Studies and Reva Robinson, Linguistics, are the UW’s first Killam Fellows. Both will study in Canada this fall.
The Killam Fellowships were founded in 2003 between the Foundation for Educational Exchange between Canada and the US and the American Killam Trusts. At the end of the five-year pilot phase the program will have supported 82 exceptional young men and women from a variety of backgrounds and a range of academic disciplines at some 21 colleges and universities. These students have come mainly from northeastern US and central or eastern Canada but this year, the Killam is extending its reach to the West Coast and UW is one of the first partner institutions from the region.
“After graduation I plan to take time to travel and see the world a little before “digging” into graduate school with some sort of an international focus,” reflects Lucas. “Then, afterwards, I will hopefully be on to a success career helping to end some of the humanitarian crises of our generation. The Killam Fellowship is a great way to cap off my undergraduate education and begin the rest of my life.”
While facilitated through the Center, the international fellowships are open to students in all schools and departments at all three UW campuses.