Amelia Merithew ’25 Earns Fulbright to Cameroon

While at Oberlin, Amelia wrote and copyedited for The Synapse, worked at the Science Library, was a teaching assistant in the anthropology and biology departments, and volunteered with the Cleveland Metroparks. “I also occasionally used my sewing skills to costume for the Oberlin Musical Theater Association or organize events for the Office of Environmental Sustainability!” she adds.

How did Oberlin shape or influence you to pursue the Fulbright? 
The anthropology department as a whole definitely inspired me to want to build international connections after graduation, and to build those connections slowly, within an existing community. My Human Origins and Introduction to African Studies classes both stand out in my mind as I think about traveling to and working in Cameroon.

How does pursuing the Fulbright align with your post-college life and career goals? 
I hope to go to graduate school in the near future to study primatology and paleoanthropology. Hopefully, I’ll be able to do fieldwork in Central Africa throughout my career, so building strong relationships with the communities of students and scientists in Cameroon is really important to me. 

What’s the best advice you’ve received from your Oberlin faculty mentor?
Associate Professor of Anthropology Amy Margaris reminded me frequently to be open and honest in all of my writing. Whether I’m working on an essay for class, my Honors project, or an application, she is a big proponent of being up front about what we do and don’t know, and how who we are impacts what we’re saying. That’s been a really helpful way of reminding me that it’s okay not to know, and that the best science and most personal growth happens when we admit that we do not have all of the answers. Or even just one full answer.

If you’re a rising or graduating senior interested in Fulbright, connect with Fellowships & Awards to learn more about pursuing research or an arts project, obtaining a graduate degree, or teaching English in a foreign country of your choice following graduation.