News from Hamilton’s recently chartered chapter of Theta Alpha Kappa, the national honor society for religious studies and theology, was published in the society’s Journal of Theta Alpha Kappa.
Written by Assistant Professor of Religious Studies Seth Schermerhorn, the article announced the induction of the chapter’s new members: Jade Alvillar ’18, Zachary Blumenkehl ’17, Shannon Boley ’17, Eric Lintala ’16, Lillia McEnaney ’17, Hannah Grace O’Connell ’14, Abigail Quirk ’16, Kate Wall ’16, and Rachel Williams ’17.
Schermerhorn also reported on recent and ongoing activities of several of the inductees:
- Jade Alvillar was awarded the chapter’s 2017-18 Undergraduate Achievement Award in recognition of her outstanding senior thesis titled “Islamophobia in France: The Contradiction in the Implementation of Laïcité in the 21st Century.” Following graduation, she plans to return to France to teach English in French public schools.
- Zachary Blumenkehl presented his senior thesis on Nazi doctors. His post-graduation plans include teaching English in Thailand and attending medical school.
- Shannon Boley, who won a student paper competition at the American Academy of Religion Conference’s 2017 Eastern International Region annual meeting of the American Academy of Religion Conference and was the recipient of the 2017 Manley F. Allbright Fellowship, is currently pursuing a master of theological studies in religion, peace, and pluralism at Harvard Divinity School.
- Eric Lintala, recipient of the 2016 Manley F. Allbright Fellowship, is pursuing a master of divinity degree at the University of Chicago Divinity School.
- Lillia McEnaney is pursuing a master of arts degree in museum studies at New York University. She and Schermerhorn co-authored an article on O’odham photography of pilgrimages to Magdalena, Sonora, Mexico. The article was published last year in Religious Studies and Theology: Interdisciplinary Studies in Religion.
- Abigail Quirk is pursuing a master’s degree in education policy at the University of Pennsylvania.
- Rachel Williams was awarded a U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholarship to study Arabic in Morocco.
