Cameron Sheldon of Canton, is one of 10 students at Bates College receiving prestigious Fulbright U.S. Student Grants.
Supporting an academic year of research and teaching in more than 155 countries outside the United States, the Fulbright U.S. Student Program is funded primarily by the U.S. Department of State and sends some 1,800 U.S. citizens abroad annually.
A politics major and Spanish minor, Sheldon received an English Teaching Assistantship for work in Armenia.
Sheldon's commitment to community involvement, public service and human rights has been informed and deepened by her Bates education. As a sophomore studying abroad, Sheldon undertook independent research into prison conditions in Bolivia. A Bates seminar exploring effects of genocide introduced her to the Armenian Genocide of nearly a century ago.
"I was intrigued by the longstanding Turkish policy of denying that atrocities towards Armenians ever occurred," Sheldon says. "This material gave me the inspiration for my year-long honors thesis about the Turkish-Armenian conflict."
In Armenia, Sheldon will conduct an independent study on the politics of memory in Armenia in addition to her English-teaching responsibilities. She looks ahead to earning a law degree and becoming an advocate for people threatened by persecution in other countries.
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