Scholarship winners pursue study abroad

Two Hopkins alumnae used external scholarships to pursue their studies in the other countries during the past year. Anna Wherry, who graduated in 2014, received a Marshall Scholarship, a grant that is financing her graduate school education in the United Kingdom (U.K.). Bayly Winder, who also graduated in 2014, received a Fulbright Scholarship, which is one of the largest educational exchange programs that offers research, teaching opportunities and graduate studies on a largely international level.

Wherry, who was a Woodrow Wilson fellow as an undergraduate, is currently studying at Oxford University in the Refugee and Forced Migration Studies program. She will pursue a master’s degree in social anthropology from the University of Edinburgh in the future. She will be studying in the U.K. for a total of two years.

Wherry explained that working with refugees in Baltimore and learning about displaced people when she went to Colombia with the Woodrow Wilson Fellowship program led her to study in the Refugee and Forced Migration program. According to Wherry, displaced peoples are like refugees but they haven’t yet crossed an international border.

While traveling in Colombia, she noticed someone selling a printed copy of the Victims and Land Restitution Law on the side of the road.

“There was this law being sold on the side of the street,” Wherry said. “I had never seen people selling copies of laws before so they could read it.”

The sale of the Victims Law on the street piqued Wherry’s interest in international affairs and policy, and she decided to look into it.

“How do you determine if someone is a victim? How can such a law even recognize what has happened?” Wherry said.

During her studies, Wherry seized every opportunity she could for her research.

“The way I got started on my research was by going to these government offices that were responsible for administering the law and asking if I could talk to the people working there,” she said.

“I became particularly close to one person who allowed me to attend this meeting where people who have secured the legal designation ‘victims’ can come and provide feedback to the government.”

She decided to apply for the Marshall Scholarship during her junior year at Hopkins.

“I had started thinking about legal categories of displacement and the implications they hold,” Wherry said. “When I was doing my research, I was thinking about what I could do after I graduated, and I found this program.”

She plans to return to the U.S. after she completes her studies. She credits her Hopkins experience with developing her critical thinking skills.

“I would encourage students to take the time to really learn how to think critically. I think that’s probably the biggest benefit that I got from Hopkins, especially my anthropology courses,” Wherry said. “They really taught me to question things. The other thing I would say is to get involved in Baltimore but not to assume you know what other people need.”

Bayly Winder, who studied political science at Hopkins, chose to go to Kuwait to study a particular form of Diwaniya, a kind of intellectual forum unique to Kuwait.

“It’s basically a sociopolitical institution in Kuwait which is very influential. It’s a very traditional concept where Kuwaiti men gather in these halls and discuss pertinent issues, debate about politics, things like that,” Winder said.

“There are informal Diwaniyas, and there are very formal Diwaniyas,” Winder said. “I’ve come to Kuwait to learn about this institution and to observe it first-hand and to experience it in the different ways in which it functions.”

Winder spent his junior year in Qatar and had previously spent time in the Gulf region with his family. He also took Arabic as an undergraduate student.

From the countries in the Gulf region he chose Kuwait because of its political activity. Kuwait is a partial democracy and has had a parliament since the 1960s. According to Winder, the parliament in Kuwait is powerful but Diwaniya contributes to political debate as well.

As opposed to other countries in the Gulf area, Winder explained that there is a generally high level of freedom of speech in Kuwait.

He has spent eight months in Kuwait and has around one month left. Fulbright scholarships last nine months.

“It’s been a very independent project, and I’ve definitely gotten a good substantive feel for the political climate in Kuwait. I’ve been able to meet people from a lot of different segments of society and gotten access to some unique individuals,” Winder said.

He does not plan to attend graduate school immediately after his trip because he is looking for professional experience, potentially in international business. He is considering whether or not he should pursue employment in the public or private sectors after his Fulbright finishes.

“I would definitely say that the Fulbright is a fantastic program. It has exceptional reach and really exceptional funding. I would encourage anyone to apply,” Winder said. “You can go almost anywhere in the world, and you can research almost anything, so it’s pretty neat. They really allow you to go in your own direction in terms of your research.”