Participants in the Mentoring for the Future workshop and mentoring series come from all over the world and from all walks of life. Check out the current and past mentee cohorts and their individual interests on the cohort pages. Explore what they have to say about the program and their successes in graduate school applications on this page.
If you are interested in becoming a mentee, check out the how to apply page.
2024 Cohort
The 2024 cohort of Mentoring for the Future mentees is our largest group yet. The mentees hail from 11 different countries and four different continents. Their interests range from Japanese and African literature to discourse analysis and the role of technology in the language classroom. Read more about their interests and plans for graduate school studies below.
Afia Kyeremaah-Yeboah
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My name is Afia Kyeremaah-Yeboah. I hold a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and French. I am curious about pursuing my graduate studies in the field of languages and literature because my love for such fields started during my high school days. During my graduate studies, I would like to focus on “Importance of literature in Africa especially in West Africa” which is influenced by the research I conducted during my undergraduate studies.
Alexandra Isabel Carrasco Díaz
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I hold a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature and Linguistics from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, and I am interested in pursuing a master degree in 2025 in one of the following fields: applied linguistics, intercultural communication, education and cultural studies, or innovation in higher education. Throughout my education, I have served as a teacher assistant for linguistic courses and also as a research assistant for the faculties of Letters and Education. I will also spend a year (2024-2025) at Union College, NY., as an assistant at the Spanish Department. Nowadays, I have been an assistant at the Office of the Vice-President for International Affairs for a year. Specifically, I am part of the team of Global Learning and Internationalization at Home. Moreover, I am an intern at the Casa Chile Program at David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies in Santiago, serving as an assistant for the Resident Director.
Andrés Segovia
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Andrés Segovia (Mérida, Yucatán, 1999). Cursó estudios especializados de música y literatura. Becario de la Residencia Literaria Material de Sueños (Islas Marías, 2021) y del PECDA Yucatán (2021-2022). Ganador del Premio Nacional de Poesía Joven María Luisa Moreno 2019 por Canción de urna y espejo, del Premio Nacional Universitario de Poesía Desiderio Macías Silva 2019 por A donde van las cosas que nos duelen (Sangre/Poetazos, 2023) y del Premio de Poesía Punto de Partida 2022 por La línea recta del sonido.
Catalina Monserrat De La Fuente Inostroza
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My name is Catalina De La Fuente, and I’m an undergraduate senior student of English Literature and Linguistics at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, yet I hold a Law degree. Despite my academic history, I’ve been passionate about Literature from a young age, and I’m thrilled to participate in the MFF program. My interests are quite broad; while my favourite disciplines include Short Story, Modernist Literature and Poetry, I’m deeply interested in Medieval and Classic Literature, Drama and Creative Writing. As such, I aspire to keep pursuing my studies abroad and strive to apply to Master’s or PhD programs in Comparative Literature. I yearn to carve a path into academia and become a professor and writer to contribute to my community from the discipline of the Liberal Arts, in hopes of returning what many great mentors, family and friends have generously given me into becoming the person I am today.
Cristóbal Castro Espinoza
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I live in San Ramón, a working-class region located in Santiago, Chile. I am a senior student at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, majoring in Hispanic literature and linguistics. Furthermore, I am interested in Latin American literature and cinema. In the future, I seek to enroll in a graduate program in Spanish or Comparative literature. I also write as a hobby; I like to write both poetry and narrative.
Daniel Mensah Losu
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Deborah Adeyeye
Diana Mayre Caycho Huapaya
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I’m currently in my fourth year studying literature at Universidad Nacional de San Marcos in Lima, Peru. I’m majoring in Comparative Literature, with a minor in Literary Theory. I also hold a degree in Translation and Interpreting from the Lima Institute of Technical. My research revolves around contemporary Latin American literature, comparative literature, and translation studies. In the future, I aspire to pursue graduate studies in Comparative Literature.
Ekua Nyarkoah Mensah
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I graduated from the University of Ghana with dual majors in Linguistics and Spanish. My passion lies in the Akan language, particularly in crafting narratives and translations. I’m eager to pursue an MPhil in Linguistics, aiming to further my studies with a Ph.D. in Phonology and Conversation Analysis. My research interests revolve around the intricate dynamics of speech within social contexts, focusing specifically on the complexities found within the Akan language.
Elorm Komla Alatevi
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My name is Elorm Komla Alatevi and I hold a Bachelor of Arts in French with a minor in English linguistics and Spanish language and literature from the University of Ghana. My current role as a Tutorial Assistant in the Department of French at the University of Ghana has helped me gain a solid foundation in the fundamental concepts and principles of languages and literature. As ambitious as I am, I am looking forward to contributing my knowledge and skills in an institution that offers an opportunity for career progression.
Emmanuel
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Esther Atswei Adjetey
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Florencia Bottazzi
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Franklin Appiah-Dankwa
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Geoffrey Akello Waudi
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Henry Augustine Mawutor Attivor
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Jacob Chan
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Jennifer Ama Kotoe
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Joseph Boateng
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Lauren Tragale
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Mary Adobea Anim
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Michaelina Sarpong
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Mostafiz Khan Ahad
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Neymih Habibe Touma
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Nyarko Akua Sarfowaa Regina
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Sreeparna Das
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Syeda Nuha Rahman
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William Osvaldo Dias Monteiro
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2023 Cohort
Meet the 2023 cohort of Mentoring for the Future mentees, and hear what they have to say about the MFF workshop!
Addison Houseman
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Ana Karen Pérez Vega
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Angélica Pérez Burgos
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Byanca Temmons-Barnwell
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Diego Escobedo Estevez
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Elizabeth Herrera Borja
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Elorm Komla Alatevi
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Giselle González Camacho
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Heli David Sánchez
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My name is Heli and I live in Bogotá. I recently graduated in Spanish, but I could say that my academic journal started a few years ago, when I finished high school and enrolled in a Latin course. I know, it seems weird, but my interest in ancient languages has become a fundamental part in my seeking to understand languages and the way these forms of communication carry significance. After college, I would love to continue my research in Latin American literature. I’m especially interested in the topic of death and in the question of how different literature has approached this problematic and huge topic. Death has to do, at least in my investigation, with bioethics, posthumanism, and biopolitics. When one talks about these topics, one is talking about plants, animals and the question of the bodies that matter, using a phrase of Judith Butler. My personal goal in this moment of my life is to gain experience, be more aware of the different ways of living in this world, and to become a better reader.
Jalees Tamayo
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Laura Marie Méndez Isabel
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Nana Kwame Brobbey
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Nayeli Chirstell Acosta García
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I’m a third-year undergraduate student at the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos in Perú, South America. In the future, I plan to pursue a graduate degree in Spanish and Latin American Literature. My research focuses on indigenous literature, 16th century Peruvian literature written in Quechua, cultural studies, and contemporary Quechua literature.
Philip Frempong
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Qianyan Liu
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Samuel Opare Sawovi
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Sara S. Barenfeld
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Shavonne Pucula
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I am a student at the University at Buffalo where I am studying Linguistics. I would love to continue my studies in a Doctoral program where my main interest lies with studying different cultures’ mythologies and how they have shaped the cultures and their religions. After attending the Mentoring for the Future Program, I realize that my concentration may be in literature. My other interests are artificial intelligence, anthropology, and the history of cultures.
Siwei Lu
Sydney Baker
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Yu Ting
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Yuanrui Xu
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2022 Cohort
Blakeli Campbell
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I am an undergraduate student at Nevada State College who is majoring in English with three minors in professional writing, communications, and business. In the future, I plan to pursue an editing career and then proceed to pursue my Ph.D. in English with a dual degree in WGSS. My research focuses on women’s literature that challenges man v. nature, using an ecofeminist lens.
Catalina García
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I plan on taking 2022 to fully experience what being a published author feels like (my novel, Cosas que parecen permanentes, will be in bookstores by July), and on 2023 begin gathering all the documents required to apply to a PhD in Comparative Literature at Penn State University. My intention is to pursue research on Asian Studies, LGBTQ+ Studies, aesthetics, and horror literature.
Chioma Nwoye
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I hope to pursue either a Ph.D. in Comparative Literatures or an MFA in film. In either theory or practice, I hope to continue studying the craft of storytelling with a more focused approach to Black diasporic cinema and Afrofuturist film that draw empowering trajectories of the Black liberation into the present.
Daniel Álvarez Sanz
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I am a double major literature and languages student, interested in pursuing a career in literary translation, specifically by doing my own translations and carrying out research in the field of translation studies. My research interests on the literary field include German and Japanese studies, as well as Latin American literature and translation. I therefore intend to continue my studies in the future by enrolling in MA programs both in Japanese studies and in literary translation.
Diana Echeverry Fernández
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I would like to focus my research in contemporary Spanish literature written by women, and their link with art, languages and identity. My doctoral research would analyze the relationship between correspondence, and intimate diaries in the writing of women authors.
Djietcheu Woosem Gilles Valere
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My research interests are African Studies, French and Francophone Studies, and Gender Studies. I focus on the question of the loss of identity due to transnational and transcontinental displacement in Western, Northern, and Central African Literature. I am also interested in the gendering of afro-francophone identities. After the completion of my Ph.D., beyond being a critical thinker and a lecturer in my fieldwork, I would like to collaborate closely with NGOs to work with the communities related to my research.
Emma Correia
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I am interested in pursuing a PhD in Linguistics potentially with focuses in bilingualism, sociolinguistics, second-language acquisition, and language policy.
Esther Abimbola-Omolara Emoruwa (‘Lara)
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I am a theatre artist, creative writer and a researcher. I am an aspiring doctoral scholar who is interested in exploring the intersections of arts, therapy and well-being, using textual and performance-related literature and medical humanities especially as it concerns the woman and the dialectics of her space and agency in African cultures. My other areas of research interests include inter-disciplinary scrutiny of canonical texts, genres of African literature through language, gender issues, creative writing and dramaturgy, and stage dialectics/production design.
Gabriela Hernández Pérez
Geoffrey Akello Waudi
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I would like to carry on with my studies in Linguistics with particular interest in ESL acquisition among children. I would like to focus on pronunciation’s difficulties in pupils and students which to a large extent impede their confidence, thereby negatively affecting their academic performance.
Jordan Selous
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I am a final year student at the University of Cape Town, majoring in English Literature, Linguistics and Media Studies. I plan to pursue my honors in English Literature in 2023 and will most likely continue studying thereafter. Writing is my passion, as is reading. I am a published writer, poet, and editor who would like to continue with the aforementioned tracks professionally.
Kyler Malik Henderson
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I intend to pursue a multidisciplinary and multifaceted career in academia and pedagogy, taking the first couple of years after earning my bachelor’s degree to teach English in Japan, China, South Korea, Taiwan, or the United Arab Emirates. Afterward, I will return to cement myself in American academia by way of my graduate education, working to earn a Ph.D.
Lynn Odira
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I would like to pursue a graduate degree in linguistics, focusing on second language acquisition in childhood and sociolinguistics. I hope to continue working in a multicultural setting, particularly with EAL students (and their parents/guardians and teachers), developing programs that cater to the students’ specific needs. A course in linguistics would be perfect opportunity for me to extend my language awareness and gain an insight into theories about second language teaching and learning.
Matilde Rueda
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I am currently a literature and humanities student. My academic and carrier plans include being able to continue my literature studies and ideally expand my knowledge in gender and sexuality studies. I have a passion for art, poetry, and helping my community and those around me.
Shelby Cundiff
Susy Porras
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I want to stay within the humanities and social sciences, but I would also like to broaden my perspectives and experiences, and that is why I’m considering programs such as social work, education, human rights, cultural studies, and literature. I want to focus on a Latin American context in relation to global influences such as speeches and processes happening on other continents and languages. Categories and perspectives such as imaginaries, representations, practices, experiences, and decolonial studies are my main areas of interest.
Wesly J. Torres-Lopez
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I am interested in applying to graduate programs across the country to pursue a PhD in English and continue to explore the various opportunities available through academia. My research interests include heroic literature, trauma, oppression and coloniality.
Yadi Peng
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I am excited to begin my PhD program in the Linguistics Department at The University of Washington in Fall 2022. I am mostly interested in sociolinguistic variation, language attitudes, and ASL. Science communication will be an important part of my academic journey wherever it might take me.
After the workshops, participants share what they learned, the biggest takeaways from the MFF program, and their experiences as MFF mentees. Let’s hear it from them!
2021 Cohort
Bertrand Collins
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I am a T.A. and international student at the University of New Mexico where I study Germanistics after obtaining a Master’s degree in African Literatures and Civilizations at the University of Yaoundé I in Cameroon. In my research career, I would like to build an epistemological bridge between African Studies and German Studies. Specifically, I would like to specialize in Black German studies and questions related to the cultural, historical, and political relationship of the Germanic world with Black Africa. I am interested in questions of memory, colonization, decolonization and, in the cultural production of Black people within the German-speaking cultural area.
Caroline Smith
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In May of 2021, I graduated with BAs in Spanish and Global Studies with a concentration in Inter-American Relations and Dynamics. Upon finishing my master’s degree in Spanish College Teaching at Appalachian State University in 2022, I plan on matriculating into a Spanish Ph.D. program oriented towards Hispanic literature. My research interests include contemporary Latin American literature, decolonial and postcolonial trauma theory, narratives of migration, and border theory. Ultimately, I desire to become a professor so that I can combine my love for academic research and teaching.
De’ja Alston
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Currently I live in North Carolina, but I was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland. I graduated from Coppin State University in 2017, with a Bachelor’s degree in English. I am a licensed special education teacher. I plan on applying for PhD programs this winter. My educational goal is to use an interdisciplinary approach to further research educational policy, human rights and ethics through the lens of African American Literature.
Elicie Edmond
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I plan to enroll into a PhD program in English, Comparative Literature, and/or African/African American Studies. I hope to continue to explore the foundations of literature rooted in Africana thought, and I hope to continue to conceptualize how literature has become a space of healing and futurity within the complex history of the African Diaspora.
Gianfranco Gastelo
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My fascination with linguistics and the revelatory messages of literature have inspired me to pursue a PhD in Comparative Literature. As a doctoral student, I would aim to both expand my intermediate linguistic and cultural knowledge of Italian and immerse myself in advanced courses in Latin, French and Filipino. These courses will enrich my global familiarization of colonialism and postcolonialism from the end of the fifteenth century up to the conclusion of the eighteenth century while further developing the subject of my undergraduate honors thesis: The First Spanish Conquest in Peru.
Giselle Gradilla
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Giselle is an undergraduate student at Nevada State College who is double majoring in English as well as in Secondary Education (English). She plans to pursue a Ph.D. in comparative literature with an emphasis on research focused on Chicana/x multimodal storytelling and advocacy.
Huirui Zhang
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I hope to become a curator who pays particular attention to performance arts and other time-based practices. My current research interest lies in the artistic representation of the Chinese immigration experience in theatrical performances. In addition, given the increasing digitalization in the art industry that the Covid-19 pandemic bought in front in 2020, I hope to investigate how the pandemic shifts how audiences consume performance art/visual representations of non-white experiences.
Karlina González
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Karlina is currently finishing their undergraduate degree in English literature and Japanese. In the future, they hope to pursue intensive Japanese language study in Japan before beginning a graduate program in English, Comparative Literature, or East Asian studies. They hope to continue their research on Anglophone and Japanese fan-culture and the role of fan-production in counter-hegemony.
Nicolás Díaz
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Once I finish my Bachelor of Arts in Spanish Linguistics and Literature I plan to enter a graduate program in literature, ideally one that will allow me to teach. I have a special interest in the connections between literature and history, especially in the South American context, so I hope to further delimit what I am interested in pursuing research-wise in the next few years. My dream is to become a professor.
Peiyun Jiang
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Peiyun Jiang is a recent graduate from Mount Holyoke College who double-majored in English and Politics. She is a writer of poetry and hybrid texts and is interested in Asian American and 20th-21st c. Chinese literature.
Peter Appleby
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In my studies I have not only been able to explore the heritage and meaning within German culture but also to understand the place that the German identity stands in a diverse world. After finishing my undergraduate degree I hope to gain valuable experience working for an NGO and then pursuing a masters graduate program in Comparative Literature, which would primarily include German and literature studies. As a career, I am interested in teaching the German language and culture to others partially because of the impact the subject has had on my education and life, as well as for the value that comes with sharing ideas with others.
Rani Srinivasan
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Rani double majored in English and Comparative Literature. In her final undergraduate semester, she studied South Asian literature and postcolonial theory at the University of Oxford. When she returned to New York City, she entered the Queens College English Master’s program and began teaching English at Queens College. Her research interests are politics, postcolonialism, decolonialism, and South Asian and Asian American literature. Her master’s thesis used Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things to consider the problematic connection between liminality and structural violence in postcolonial India. After obtaining her Ph.D., she wants to continue teaching and using her work to assist communities marginalized by sociopolitical injustices.
After the workshops, participants share what they learned, the biggest takeaways from the MFF program, and their experiences as MFF mentees. Let’s hear it from them!
What do they have to say?
Hear about the Mentoring for the Future program directly from past mentees!
Where are they now?
Our mentees have been offered admission to graduate programs at universities around the world!
Georgetown University
King’s College London
CUNY Graduate Center
University of New Mexico
Universität des Saarlandes
The University of Edinburgh
Emory University
University of Michigan
University of Southern California
Virginia State University
University of York
University of California Riverside
University of Ghana
University of Pittsburgh
University of Glasgow
University of Cape Town
University of Kentucky
Indiana University Bloomington
Penn State
National University of Singapore
University of Louisville
New York University
University of Virginia
Trinity College Dublin
University of Massachusetts Amherst