Assumption College Announces Three Fulbright Award Recipients

Worcester, MA—Assumption College is proud to announce that three students have been awarded Fulbright scholarships for the 2002-2003 Academic year. Seniors Audrey Anton, Emelia "Mia" Chabot, and Erin Toohil have each been rewarded for their academic successes at Assumption College with the opportunity to do a research project overseas.

Ms. Anton is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. David S. Anton, Palmer, MA. As part of her Fulbright proposal project, Audrey will travel to Ecuador to study the theory of reciprocity and the idea of generativity versus stagnation, i.e., comparing the ways of caring for the elderly in Ecuador and the United States. Audrey will conduct both formal and informal investigations of common attitudes toward both youths and elders in order to complete her project. As a student, Audrey was very involved with bringing students together with senior citizens, and recently helped put together an Intergenerational dance. “As an aspiring gerontologist, I have much to learn from Ecuador’s family emphasis, particularly the way the culture fosters relationships between older people and younger ones,” Ms. Anton says. “The Fulbright award gives me the chance to combine my commitment to breaking down generational barriers with my equally powerful drive to overcome cultural ones.”

In addition to being selected for this prestigious honor, Ms. Anton will also serve as class Valedictorian at this year’s commencement ceremonies. Audrey will graduate with a double major in social and rehabilitation services and philosophy, and a certificate in Gerentology. Other accomplishments during Anton’s tenure as a student at Assumption College include being an Aquinas Scholar and an Augustine Scholar and winner of the Raymond Marion Award during her senior year. She is also a philosophy and writing tutor at the Academic Support Center and participated in the First Year Program. Upon completion of her Fulbright award, Audrey will pursue a Ph.D. in Philosophy at Marquette University.

Mia Chabot, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Steven Chabot, Houlton, ME, will travel to Finland to study cultural and emotional implications of diet in Finland. A Biology major, Mia will do her research at the University of Kuopio in the clinical nutrition department, where she will be analyzing nutrition in homogenous populations and comparing them to certain U.S. ones. In addition, while she is in Finland, Mia will look at the psychological effects of nutrition as well as how it is influenced culturally.

Ms. Chabot is a member of the Assumption Band and recipient of the Aquinas Scholarship. During her Junior year at Assumption College, she spent the year abroad at the James Cook University in Australia where she did special work in biological studies. Just recently Mia ran and completed the Boston Marathon in just over three hours.

Erin Toohil is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John P. Toohil, Jr. of Ashland, MA and is a double major in Biology with a Biotechnology Concentration and Chemistry. Ms. Toohil will be traveling to Ireland to take part in a groundbreaking research project on E. coli bacteria. She will work on transposons (or jumping genes) which are pieces of DNA that come off of a genome and insert themselves randomly in DNA, and how they cause resistance to bacteria. She will work with professor J. Tony Pembroke at the University of Limerick to specifically analyze DNA component R391 in E. coli.

Ms. Toohil is a graduate of Marian High School, Framingham, MA and has been a Presidential Scholar her four years at Assumption College. While at Assumption, Erin was involved in the French Club, Campus Ministry and the Student Research Club. She has been an active volunteer at St. Anne’s Free Clinic in Shrewsbury and recently won a grant from the Arthritis Foundation for her work on Lyme Disease at UMASS Medical Center. Once her Fulbright year is complete, Erin plans to go to medical school to become a pediatrician.