AMHS Scholarship Awards

AMHS Scholarship Application Essay
by Kathryn Doran

From the earliest memories of my childhood, one of the most distinctive characterizing aspects of my life has been my Italian heritage. This has impacted me most significantly through the influence of my family, and the culture through which our interactions always filter. The fact that I am an Italian-American has been a source of enjoyment and pride throughout my life, and this has cultivated in myself a sincere affection for Italian culture. As a result of experiences, traditions, and interactions within my own family, I was inspired to pursue a personal knowledge of Italian language and history. I have studied Italian since my freshman year of college, and I plan to graduate with a minor in Italian language and culture next spring.

Despite the incredible amount I have learned over the past three years, I feel I have not had the chance to truly experience Italian life in its entirety. Although I have many relatives in various parts ofAbruzzo and Basilicata, I have never had the opportunity to travel to Italy myself. Even before I declared a minor in Italian, I had planned on actively pursuing the opportunity to study in Italy during my college career, and this goal is finally coming to realization. I have applied for a trip of twenty days of study at the University of Genoa in January 2005. In this program, I will work individually with professors of Italian and focus on a study of Italian literature and poetry. The concept of finally traveling to Italy and experiencing firsthand the culture I have both inherited and examined through academic study is extremely exciting. I anticipate that it will prove to be the highlight of my entire college career as an experience of pure personal enjoyment as well as one of enlightening scholarly interaction.

I feel that I am deserving of the AMHS Scholarship because I will sincerely benefit from the opportunity that it will grant me. The award would contribute to covering a large quantity of the cost of the program I hope to attend in Genoa. As a recipient of the Scholarship, I would use the funds to directly advance my personal study and appreciation of Italian culture. I do not believe that my academic minor in Italian would be nearly as complete without the experience of full immersion in Italian society. I long for the chance to acquire such intimate knowledge of this country that has always held so much significance in my life.