Every year, Hamilton awards the prestigious Bristol Fellowship to a member of the senior class hoping to conduct a worldwide research project. This year’s recipients of the $30,000 award are Josef Komissar ’22 and Maria “Aléjandra” Pulido ’22.
After submitting their proposals in October, both Komissar and Pulido were interviewed by a panel of Hamilton faculty members. This initial interview was followed by a second interview with members of the Bristol family, who have funded the Fellowship since 1996. Project proposals should “be imaginative and thoughtful” and “exhibit a spirit of inquisitiveness and seriousness of potential” to be considered a serious candidate.
Komissar’s project, “The Language of Juggling: Cultural Exchange Through Performance,” will bring him to Australia, Germany and Mexico. Komissar plans to “examine how different landscapes and cultures have impacted the development of juggling and juggling communities around the world.”
By partaking in several aspects of community life, such as visiting schools, attending festivals and watching circuses, Komissar hopes to understand the impact of culture on juggling. “I am especially interested in youth circuses and their ability to engage and uplift children from all walks of life,” Komissar noted.
Komissar is most excited about joining the global juggling community. “One of the most exciting prospects is the opportunity to meet so many new people from completely different backgrounds than myself,” Komissar said. “Juggling will provide me a basis for meeting new people, even if it means just standing around in a public park and juggling for passersby,” he added.
Culture can be expressed through many different forms of art and Komissar sees juggling as just one of many routes to cultural exploration. “I think performing arts can open a window for cultural exchange, and that’s just as true for juggling as anything else,” said Komissar.
Pulido’s research focuses on the migrant populations of Greece, France, Spain, Togo and Singapore in her project, “Paths of the Displaced, Exploration of Migration Resources.” Pulido seeks to obtain a greater understanding of “migration programs and resources including government assistance, humanitarian aid including healthcare, childcare, education (academic and physical), and community integration services like career readiness” in her chosen countries.
Pulido will gain a holistic picture of the impact of migration in her five countries by “interacting with humanitarian workers, educators, government officials, healthcare providers, and community leaders,” as well as “welcoming time spent with migrants and refugees to understand movement and integration from their perspectives.”
Drawing on inspiration from her own experience, Pulido is determined to better the experiences of migrants and refugees around the globe. “I am a political asylee from Colombia and am privileged enough to have gotten American citizenship,” explained Pulido. “I chose to focus on migration because every place I have been and every displaced person I have encountered was in need of more assistance than was provided.”
The Fellowship also allows Pulido to learn more about what role in migration services she wants to take on after graduating. “I applied for the Bristol Fellowship because I know that I want to help migrants, refugees, and internally displaced people, but I don’t know in what capacity I will be able to make the most impact,” said Pulido. Through my project, I can look at the different services being provided and better deem where my abilities would make a most meaningful impact,” she adds.
Pulido is looking forward to gaining a worldwide perspective on migration through the connections she will make abroad, remarking, “I am really interested in growing my network in each country and meeting people with similar experiences and various perspectives, so that I can develop my own growth.”
