Students
In the 2022-2023 academic year, about 75 students completed the three-quarter sequence of First-Year or Second-Year study in Arabic, Hebrew, and Turkish; and an additional 55 students furthered their language journey in advanced courses in Arabic and Hebrew.
Congratulations to our 2022-2023 Award Winners, for their Excellence in a MENA Language and Culture.
- First Year: Audrey Carendon (Arabic), Andrew Habib (Arabic), Ayman Hayat (Arabic), Rachel Smith (Hebrew), and Zeki Hirsch (Turkish).
- Second Year: Zayn Bajwa (Arabic), Reem Khalid (Arabic), Noah Edelman (Hebrew).
- Advanced: Youseff Aboukoura (Arabic), Areebah Omer (Arabic), Monica Haddad (Hebrew).
Congratulations to our students who received other Northwestern awards based on their studies in a MENA Language and Culture:
- Honors Theses Award in Comparative Literature: Tomer Cherki. In his Honors Thesis, Tomer translated the first third of a novel from Hebrew to English; wrote an extensive analysis of the novel in its cultural, political, and literary context; and wrote about his experience translating this novel, tying it to the theory of translation and to central writings such as Walter Benjamin's and Casin’s. His co-advisors were Hanna Tzuker Seltzer and Rebecca Johnson.
- Undergraduate Language Grant: Rachel Spahn. Rachel received the ULG to study abroad in Jordan over the summer.
- Undergraduate Research Grant: Becker Spear. Becker received the URG to study how Arab-American artists are revolutionizing the multimedia art scene in Washington D.C. through an interview-based podcast. Becker's proposal highlights the importance of recognizing the contributions of minority artists, specifically SWANA artists, in the art industry.