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By William Clarke
Somerville, New Jersey
American Studies and English
While speaking with Professor Peter Rachleff one day, I learned about an opportunity that changed my entire Macalester experience. He asked me if I was going to apply for the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship. The Mellon Mays program is designed for students who are seriously considering pursuing Ph.D.s and becoming professors.
To my delight, I was selected as one of the five Mellon Mays Fellows from my graduating class.
—William Clarke |
With the help of several professors, I created what I thought was a pretty “cool” proposal. Capitalizing on my longstanding love of science fiction, my newfound knowledge of sci-fi written by African Americans and my recent exposure to the work of W.E.B. DuBois, I wove together a research idea centered on the relationship of African American science fiction to social and political critiques and the development of a viable, progressive African American identity. To my delight, I was selected as one of the five Mellon Mays Fellows from Macalester’s Class of 2007.
Peter Rachleff is our program director and he has a definite talent for convincing stellar artists and intellectuals to speak to “the Mellons” at Macalester. This summer, Peter convinced two recipients of the MacArthur Fellows Program award, also known as the “genius award,” to sit down with us. Meeting Bill T. Jones, the world-renowned dancer, and Kara Walker, an equally renowned visual artist, was priceless. Seeing and discussing their work with them was a rare opportunity, and one that I will cherish.
My mother, a former dancer, was instrumental in helping me decide to attend Macalester, and then in encouraging me to apply for the Mellon Fellowship. She told me she was “so jealous and yet so proud.” There is nothing more special than knowing that she’s proud of what I’ve done.
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