Eight Vanderbilt students embark on a year of unprecedented growth with the Keegan Traveling Fellowship

Vanderbilt University’s Keegan Traveling Fellowship program is celebrating its 60th anniversary by sending a record number of students on international adventures. This year, eight exceptional students have been selected to embark on life-changing journeys around the globe.

Sydney Featherstone, a history and studio art major from Washington, D.C., will explore “Global Artivism” and how art can be used as a tool for social justice and community upliftment. Rachel Lee, a human and organizational development and English literary studies major from Montreal, Canada, will delve into the power of free speech in constructing collective memory. William Romero, a political science and religious studies major from Louisiana, will study drag activism from a global perspective. Kaitlin Spiridellis, a Spanish and human and organizational development major from New York, will focus on global disparities in drinking water.

In addition to these postgraduate fellows, Vanderbilt is introducing the Summer Keegan Traveling Fellowship for rising juniors and seniors. Duaa Faquih, Aaliya Ramakrishnan, Nathan Bornstein, and Ariel Olaleye will embark on eight-to-10-week journeys of exploration and learning during the summer, blending the Keegan Fellowship with their Immersion Vanderbilt experiences.

The Keegan Fellowship program, named after alumnus Michael B. Keegan, aims to provide transformative global experiences to cultivate leadership and global citizenship among Vanderbilt students. The expansion of the program reflects the university’s commitment to experiential education and globally engaged students. The Keegan Fellowship alumni community is excited to see the impact these students will make on the world.