Above: Lexi Martinez, 2018 Gilman Scholarship Awardee

Loyola Anthropology students and alumni have a strong track record of winning national and international fellowships and scholarships. These awards have allowed our students and alumni to pursue unique research opportunities, participate in international field schools, build language skills, and fund graduate studies beyond Loyola.

Interested in learning more? Read this letter from Dr. Calcagno, Professor of Anthropology and Founding Director of Loyola's Fellowship Office.

Below are some of the prestigious fellowships and scholarships that LUC Anthropology students and alumni have competed for and won in recent years.

GILMAN SCHOLARSHIP for students of limited means to study abroad:

Lexi Martinez was awarded a Gilman Scholarship in 2018, enabling her to participate in a summer bioarchaeology field school in Italy. See a video by Lexi about her Gilman Scholarship experience here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoRJD1Hc8XY 

Did you know, that in 2012 alone… 3 Anthropology majors earned Gilman Scholarships?

Ashley Erickson, who majored in Anthropology and Global and International Studies, with a minor in Environmental Action and Leadership, conducted her studies in Vietnam.

Ellen Hamel who majored in Anthropology, conducted her studies in Nepal.

Ariana Loehr who majored in Anthropology, with minors in Asian Studies and Environmental Science, conducted her studies in Vietnam.

FULBRIGHT AWARD for graduating seniors or graduate students to conduct research or teach abroad:

Mia LaRocca graduated with a B.S. in Anthropology in 2017, and was awarded a Fulbright/Casten Family Foundation Award for 2018-19 to pursue a Master’s degree at the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Italy. In addition to pursuing a degree to enhance her understanding of health and immigration, will conducted an ethnographic research project on the island of Lampedusa that examined the current migrant and refugee situation by focusing on their access to food, as well as the community’s involvement in food production.

Armaan Siddiqui graduated in 2011 with a B.A. in Anthropology and Global and International Studies, and was awarded a Fulbright Full Research Grant for 2011-12 in Morocco. She analyzed Moroccan Muslim women's involvement in an Islamic social movement, specifically the Qadiri Boutchichi Sufi Order. She assessed if and how it empowers female participants in modern society, and whether this has been a motivation for women to join the order.

Katie Good graduated in 2007 with a B.S. in Anthropology and B.A. in Global and International Studies.  She earned a special mtvU Fulbright in 2008, and produced podcasts that anthropologically explore the Mexican youth renaissance of performing various pre-rock music styles.  Live performances and interviews are featured, to both entertain and educate Mexican and American audiences. After her work was completed, the Fulbright program was so impressed by her work that she served as a Fulbright Ambassador for several years after her experience in Mexico.

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION GRADUATE RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM (NSFGRFP) for outstanding graduate students pursuing research-based master's or doctoral degrees in the U.S.:

Caitlyn DeRango graduated in May 2011 with a B.S. degree in Anthropology, and minors in Biology and French Language and Literature. Her application in Biological Anthropology focused on Primatology, and she subsequently began graduate school at UCLA in 2013 and conducted field research in Costa Rica on white-faced capuchins (Cebus capucinus).

CRITICAL LANGUAGE SCHOLARSHIP for intensive summer study of Arabic, Azerbaijani, Bangla, Chinese, Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Persian, Punjabi, Russian, Turkish, or Urdu:

Christopher Benson earned a Critical Language Scholarship in 2012 to study Arabic in Morocco.  Christopher graduated in 2015 with a double major in Sociology/Anthropology and History, and minors in Islamic World Studies and Arabic Language and Culture. 

YP4 (YOUNG PEOPLE FOR) FELLOWSHIP for leadership development for young people committed to creating positive social change:

Sadia Nawab graduated with a B.S. in Anthropology and is a strong advocate for proper health care for all youth. She was awarded a 2009 YP4 Fellowship, which identifies, engages and empowers the newest generation of progressive leaders to create lasting change in their communities or on campus. Sadia’s YP4 project dealt with health care reform within the Juvenile Justice System in Chicago, to make sure that disadvantaged youth were getting their hygienic supplies regularly and on time, and to establish HIV screenings and Disease Spread workshops at the prison site.

Did you know that you can earn tuition money just for applying for awards with FIGs and GIGs?

Fellowship Incentive Grants (FIGs) offer a tremendous opportunity for undergraduate students to increase their ability to produce more competitive national applications. Up to eight (8) $1000 grants are awarded annually to prospective applicants of major fellowships and scholarships. FIGs are designed to better identify and prepare Loyola students to apply for national and international scholarships and fellowships, and to encourage students and faculty to work together sooner on potential applications. Grants will be awarded to those students who are planning to pursue qualifying scholarships and fellowships and who best complete the grant application. For more information, see: https://www.luc.edu/fellowshipoffice/newgrants.shtml

Gilman Incentive Grants (GIGs) are similar to FIGs, except they are solely for Gilman Scholarship applications. Grants of up to $250 are possible, and as with FIGs, the money is directly deducted from one’s tuition bill. For more information, see: https://www.luc.edu/fellowshipoffice/gilmanincentivegrantsgigs/