OCUFA is pleased to announce this year’s winner of the Mandelabum Fellowship: Sara Pavan, a doctoral candidate in political studies at Queen’s University.
Sara is an outstanding student, receiving high marks throughout her coursework and a “Distinction” for her comprehensive exams, a rare honour. In addition to her first-class academics, the fellowship jury was particularly struck by Sara’s strong community and volunteer service. While studying in Rome for her bachelor’s degree, Sara additionally received training and spent two years working as a social worker and counselor in women’s shelters. She also spent eight-months in San Salvador as a volunteer promoting sustainable development and community building in the aftermath of the civil war. She is also active in supporting international students at Queen’s in both formal and informal roles.
One professor described Sara as, “one of the best two PhD students I have worked with in my career, which now spans three decades.” Another remarked that, “I have great confidence that her dissertation will be an important contribution to the field of comparative politics, as well as work on ethnicity, diversity, representation, and political behaviour.”
The Mandelbaum Fellowship was establish to honor Henry Mandelbaum, Executive Director of OCUFA from 1996-2011. The fellowship is awarded to a graduate student “who has demonstrated academic excellence, shows exceptional academic promise, and has provided significant community service in his/her university career.” For more information, please visit https://ocufa.on.ca/ocufa-awards/