Winter 2006
Awards & Accolades
Students
CLA Student is Rhodes Scholar
Photo by Jayme Halbritter
Diana Fu, a CLA honors senior with majors in global studies and political science, has been named a Rhodes Scholar. She is CLA’s third Rhodes Scholar in five years.
A pianist, dancer, writer, and regular columnist for the Minnesota Daily, Fu was born in China and emigrated to Winnipeg, Canada, with her family when she was eight. The family later settled in Eden Prairie, Minn., where she attended high school.
Last year, Fu studied at the University of Beijing and conducted field research on the challenges faced by the millions of rural women who have migrated to China’s cities over the past decade.
Her summa thesis, based on that research, was described as “astonishing” by English professor Charlie Sugnet. The paper was awarded the Sidney Devere Brown Prize for best original research paper at the 2005 conference of the Midwest Association of Asian Affairs.
Political science professor Daniel Kelliher, who collaborated with Fu on a research project, said, “I gave her some guidance on searching Chinese databases; the next thing I knew Diana had left both me and the librarian in the dust. Her performance was spectacular.”
Eighteen CLA students received the 2005 President’s Student Leadership and Service Award: Annie Davidson, Lindsey Fritsch, Mukhtar Gaaddasaar, Molly Gale, Bridgette Goulet, Sarah Hesser, Morgan Kingstedt, Sumaiya Mamdani, Jessica Mann, Erika Meyer, Quynh Nguyen, Lorien Olive, Natalie Olson, Chris Oudavanh, Andrew Pierce, Amy Pierce, Elana Sondol, and Abby Weinandt.
Amy and Sara Hamann won first prize in the two-piano category at the Grieg International Piano Competition in Oslo, Norway.