The Humanities Institute Undergraduate Research Fellows 2021-22

ELISE BENTON

History / Classical Studies

“Praise the Gods and Kings: A Look at Ptolemaic Festivals in Alexandria”

Elise Benton is a fourth year Merrill affiliate double majoring in History (Intensive, Europe and the Mediterranean) and Classical Studies, with a minor in Politics. Her project, “Praise the Gods and Kings: A Look at Ptolemaic Festivals in Alexandria” analyzes festivals and processions in Ptolemaic Alexandria and how they served as religious propaganda for the Greek royal family as foreign rulers. As well as being a dedicated student and THIS fellow, she is also active in the broader UCSC community, serving as President of her sorority Gamma Phi Beta and Treasurer of Merrill Student Government. This past winter quarter, she participated in the UCDC program where she interned at the Library of Congress. After graduating this June, Elise hopes to get Masters degrees in Ancient History and Museum Studies, with the goal of entering a career of museum education and curation.

LIA BONVER

Literature / Classical Studies

"Weaving, Wiles, and Women in Ancient Greek Literature"

My name is Lia, and I am a third year at UCSC! In my free time I love to explore the natural world and connect to nature, cook for my friends, and read. I am majoring in Literature and Classical Studies, both fields I am extremely passionate about. Being able to unveil the collective human mind through story and language has always been fascinating to me, and I hope to continue investigating it throughout my career. I really believe that storytelling is a fundamentally human aspect, and can tell us about our past, present, and future, who we are and who we will become as people living in the human world.

THERESA BOSTIC

History and Sociology / Black Studies Minor

“Santa Cruz’s Elusive Figure: London Nelson”

Theresa Bostic is a third year undergraduate student double majoring in History and Sociology with a minor in Black Studies planned to graduate Spring 2023. Her research interests include focusing on uplifting underrepresented voices and marginalized communities by uncovering untold histories and narratives. She believes in the importance of community which is reflected in the many roles she carries on-campus. Theresa currently works as a DRC notetaker, a Resident Assistant for Merrill College, Chair for Merrill Student Government, as well as acting Student Union Assembly (SUA) elected representative for Merrill College. In her free time, Theresa enjoys spending time at the Merrill Pottery Co-Op and being a DJ at KZSC, UCSC’s on-campus radio station.

MAGALI CHONTECO

Literature / Spanish Studies

“Design, Production, and Intellectual Property: The Evolution of Fast Fashion in the Age of Social Media”

Magali Chonteco is a fourth year student at UCSC pursuing a double major in Literature and Spanish Studies. When Magali was applying to schools, UCSC was one- if not the only- college whose literature program incorporated canons from different countries and cultures. In Chonteco's words, "It's extremely special when a school and its values actively attempt to give a voice to those who have constantly been denied it." Chonteco has always been interested in becoming an educator because of the impact teachers have had on them throughout their life; they hope to someday be that same motivation for other future students.

URIEL HERSZAGE

Literature

“20th Century Myth: The Epic in Modern Poetry”

Uriel is a fourth year student at UC Santa Cruz, where he is finishing a B.A. in Literature. In his spare time, Uriel likes writing and reading poetry, cooking and listening to the sound of birds in the eaves.

MATTHEW KOGAN

Linguistics / Literature

“When Complexity Becomes too Complex: Agreement Attraction in Embedded Questions.”

My name is Matthew Kogan, and I’m a 4th year student studying Linguistics and Literature at UCSC. My primary research interests are in psycholinguistics and syntax, and I’ve been particularly intrigued in investigating sentence processing as a means to understand the architecture of the mind. Over the past few years, I’ve worked as a research assistant on a few projects in psycholinguistics, and I’ve also worked as a tutor with LSS this past year. I will be continuing at UCSC to complete my Master’s in Linguistics, and I plan to apply to PhD programs in the near future. Outside of school, I enjoy biking, hiking, and cooking, and I’m always looking for more ways to get out and enjoy the breezy green locale of Santa Cruz.

SAGE MICHAELS

History / Jewish Studies

The Bertha N. Melkonian Prize recipient

“The Overlooked Women of the Fight for Irish Independence”

My name is Sage Michaels, and I am a 4th-year Intensive History Major and a Jewish Studies Minor. During my time at UCSC, I have been involved with the Okinawa Memories Initiative, and this past year I have been the student leader for their archival and oral history teams. I added my Jewish Studies Minor in my junior year, and this year I have served as the intern for the Center for Jewish Studies. Every time a student tells me they decided to add a Jewish Studies Major or Minor, it means so much to me because I know they are going to get so much more of their UCSC experience by being a part of the Jewish Studies program.

DYLAN REINDERS

Applied Linguistics

“Compare and Contrast of Inclusivity in ESL Education in various Metropolitan Areas Across the United States”

Dylan Reinders is a student that specializes in Teaching English and Equitable and fair Pedagogy practices in Language learning, Dylan finds most fulfillment in making sure that everyone is able to learn language in a way that makes it accessible and equitable. In the study conducted, English language teaching, like anything else, should look to acclimate to it's linguistic environment, and for that, should be looked at through a descriptivist lens, instead of something more prescriptivist. Overall, Dylan has been able to take a closer look into how to make not only English language education equal for everyone, but language education in general as well.

MAIA ZELKHA

History

“Pens of Iron: Echoes of the Psalms of David in Hebrew Poetry from Samuel HaNagid to Yehuda Amichai”

Maia Zelkha is an undergraduate researcher and 2021-2022 fellow at The Humanities Institute, for her research project on Hebrew poetry. She is a recipient of the Mollie Cass Sater Award, Linda Peterson Award, and Jewish Studies Undergraduate Research Award. This year, she plans to travel to Venice to continue her research on Venice's Jewish Ghetto, and to finish her last quarter at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in the fall, where she hopes to continue her research on Jewish Studies. Outside of historical research, Maia writes poetry and fiction and has been published in a number of different online and print magazines, including the UC's only cross-campus literary magazine, Matchbox.