Two George Mason University students were awarded funding to continue their education and research from the American Association of University Women (AAUW), an organization dedicated to tackling barriers women face in education.
Doctoral candidate Carol Daniel received an American Fellowship, an award for women studying full time or completing postdoctoral research. She is researching the effects of the “everyday resistance” on relations of power in the Occupied Palestinian Territories at Mason’s School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution.
Janet Marroquin received a Career Development Grant, which is for women returning to school at least five years after earning their bachelor’s degrees. She is pursuing her master’s in biodefense Mason’s Schar School of Policy and Government.
“This fellowship would allow me to conduct the required field research in a timely manner and without interruptions, as I will need to stay for a long period of time in the field to be able to conduct enough interviews [and] observations and collect other data about the practices of everyday resistance by the Palestinians,” Daniel said.
In addition to her research, Daniel is Palestinian American who spent most of her life in Jerusalem working across borders, encouraging youth and women to make a difference by leading training workshops for conflict resolution for female activists and changemakers. She has also written and spoken internationally to schools, activists, media professionals, educators and others about her work in conflict areas and the woman’s role in conflict resolution, community building and development.
Marroquin is a mother, first-generation immigrant, the first in her family to go to college and a minority in a male-dominated health security field. She aspires to support female empowerment through continuous community service and alumni mentorship programs.
“It’s heartwarming to see that women are being recognized as having more barriers in certain academic fields,” said Marroquin, noting an AAUW study that student debt disproportionately impacts women. She plans to give back to AAUW once she is established in her career.
For the 2018–19 academic year, AAUW reported it awarded $3.9 million through six fellowship and grant programs to 250 scholars and nonprofit organizations.