Three Williams College Students Named Gaudino Fellows
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. - On behalf of the Gaudino Trustees of Williams College, Professor of Mathematics and Gaudino Scholar Edward Burger has announced the election of three students as Gaudino Fellows for the year 2009. The newly elected Fellows are Muhammad Asad Liaqat '11, Meghan Rose Donnelly '11, and Moira P. Yoe '10.As Fellows, the students will receive up to $2,500 in support of their Winter Study projects in January 2009.
Muhammad Asad Liaqat grew up in Pakistan and attended the Beaconhouse School System in Islamabad. He plans to double major in philosophy and economics. Liaqat is president of the Williams International Relations Council. He is a member of the Muslim Student Union and the South-Asian Student Association, as well as serving on the board of the Freshman Leadership Weekend '08.
His Winter Study project revolves around the exploration, both academic and personal, of the ideas, traditions, and practices of Sufism in Pakistan. (Sufism is a mystical tradition in Islam.) "It is commonly regarded as drastically different in many ways from other, more 'outward' traditions in Islam," he explains. "My reading of Sufism has introduced ideas that are spiritually appealing for me, and I believe that I can pursue those ideas and turn them into practice without letting go the essence of my faith. "
He is the son of Dr. and Mrs. Liaqat Ali of Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
Meghan Rose Donnelly is from Matunuck, R.I., and attended South Kingstown High School. Donnelly plans to major in anthropology and theatre. She performs with INISH, the Irish dance, music, and storytelling ensemble, and is a member of the dance committee. In February she will teach a dance course at the Williamstown Elementary School. Other campus activities include Students for Social Justice, Sophomore Council, and Immediate Theatre. She is the social coordinator for Catholics and sings for the Catholic Music Ministry.
During Winter Study, Donnelly will volunteer in an orphanage in Java, where she will teach English. She also plans to explore the relationship between imagination and education.
She is the daughter of Eileen and Terrence Donnelly of South Kingstown, R.I.
Moira P. Yoe '10 is from Yarmouth, Maine. She attended North Yarmouth Academy. Yoe is double majoring in political science and English. She was a Williams Community Scholar in 2007. She participates in cross country, indoor and outdoor track, and was a member of the Cross Country Nationals Team in 2007 and 2008. She received the Cross Country Coaches Awards in 2006 and 2007. She also works with the non-governmental organization (NGO) Seeds of Peace and the public health organizations REACH and Target Hunger.
Yoe will spend Winter Study in Israel and Palestine examining the role of NGOs in the Israeli-Palestine conflict. Her research will focus on the methods used by NGOs to galvanize conflict resolution dialogue. She will conduct a case study of Seeds of Peace and a survey of the UN sponsored Peace NGO Forum. She will also interview professors as the Ben Gurion University's "Third Sector Research Project."
She is the daughter of Patricia Potter of Yarmouth, Maine, and James Yoe of Hallowell, Maine.
The Robert L. Gaudino Memorial Fund supports programs that complement the primary objectives of the college's educational mission: promoting active learning, combating fragmentation of knowledge, and assembling an open community of learning characterized by integrity, mutual respect, and rigorous intellectual endeavor.
