Ted Shapiro Awards

Recipients 2011

Seven American Studies majors were selected to receive a Ted Shapiro Memorial Award for 2011.  They were honored at an awards ceremony on Thursday, April 14, 2011.  Opening remarks were presented by Dean James Glaser. 

Khadijah Hall, a junior majoring in America Studies, hopes to conduct research on the success rates of Black small businesses and microenterprises within the United States. She aims to study the history of these businesses, as well as to assess the various factors preventing them from becoming as successful as their White counterparts. She also hopes to interview some of these businesses to better understand the intricacies and to write a paper on her findings. This project will eventually help her with her Senior Honors Thesis.

Crystal Jackson, a junior majoring in American Studies, is continuing her studies of the Bodwadmi Native language. She hopes to travel to Waupun, Wisconsin, where she will join an immersion language program with workshops taught by Donald and Dolores Perrot, whom she currently takes online courses with. Crystal is a member of the Citizen Band Potawatomi and is hoping to become closer to her heritage and connect with her community by learning this language.

Vivian Mbawuike, a junior double majoring in American Studies and Community Health, is hoping to invest her interest in social justice theories by examining systems of urban education and health, and the effect that SPARK the Truth, a youth-led community initiative, has had on teens in the Boston community. She seeks to interview SPARK the Truth’s members as well as review their policies to better understand positive youth leadership programs. This work will eventually help her toward her Senior Capstone Project or honors thesis.

Ann Noling, a junior majoring in American Studies, aims to travel across the country and visit a variety of theaters that aim to promote racial diversity by presenting work by and for artists of different races and ethnicities. She hopes to connect and understand how and why they operate as they do, with an ultimate mission of helping her grow as an aspiring director. She aims to write a paper documenting her experiences, as well as comparing and contrasting the various theaters and their missions.

Justin Pequeño, a junior double majoring in American Studies and Psychology, aims to travel to California and volunteer at daycares to observe cross-racial and interracial interactions amongst the children. He hopes to interact with the children and observe any marked differences between the races and ethnicities, as well as if there is any skin tone bias. He hopes to use this research for his Honors Thesis, and aims to study the psychological reasoning and ramifications of any biases he observes post graduation as well.

Jason Roos, a junior majoring in American Studies, is aiming to create a mixed-media essay documenting the experiences of first-generation college students at Tufts. He hopes to assess what resources are available to them and which they are unaware of in order to pinpoint the gaps that can later be remedied. He hopes to conduct one-on-one interviews as well as photograph these students in places that they found to be the most helpful or supportive for them.

Lorrayne Shen, a junior majoring in American Studies, is hoping to study counter-narrative comic books that focus on race and politics, as well as interact with the creators of these comics in hopes to eventually create her own counter-narrative comic project. She also aims to speak to comic-book consumers, specifically children, to better understand their passion. She hopes to have her comic reflect her own racial identity and help dispel stereotypes of the Asian race. Her eventual goal is to have her comic published in a student publication and online.

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