The Mellon Mays Undergraduate Conference on the Ancient World was held Nov. 9-11, 2018, at Bryn Mawr and Haverford Colleges. Nine Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellows from around the country presented their work to both colleagues and a broader Tri-College audience. This showcase of undergraduate research sought to bolster interest in studies of the ancient world and create a community of support for scholars of color to consider careers in academia from which they have been historically excluded.
Statement of Purpose
"Being a Mellon Mays fellow allows aspiring academics with minority backgrounds to engage passionately in undergraduate and graduate research and work towards becoming professors and researchers who will foster and inspire future scholars. This conference will give a voice, a focus, and a community to Mellon Mays fellows who have not had the opportunity to present research to an audience knowledgeable in their specific subject matter.
This conference will primarily be a celebration of the research that the Mellon Mays students are conducting, but it will also have activities specifically tailored to our experiences and our aspirations of continuing in academia. The conference will include a graduate school panel specifically focusing on fields studying the ancient world, and a discussion on the systems of support we can create within our communities. In all these ways, the MMUF Conference on the Ancient World will inspire further research on the topics being presented, help create a network of fellows based on solidarity and friendship, and provide skills and information needed to successfully navigate applying to and engaging in graduate study."
We offer ongoing gratitude for the scholarship presented by keynote speaker Dan-El Padilla Peralta who is an inspiring activist and writer and current Professor of Classics at Princeton University.
