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2024-25
John Near and Mitra Scholars
Annual Recognition Event
Tuesday, April 29, 2025
5:30-7:30 p.m.
Nichols Hall, Upper School Campus
~please RSVP below~
You are cordially invited to join the 2025 Chen Lin mentors in celebrating and honoring the scholars in this year’s John Near Excellence in History Education Endowment Fund and the Mitra Family Endowment for the Humanities.

This milestone event marks the culmination of the scholars’ yearlong research journey into their chosen subjects, which includes a brief presentation from each scholar on their project. Join members of the administration, the scholars’ proud mentors and others as we congratulate them on the completion of their passion projects. A reception will follow the presentations.

We look forward to seeing family, friends and some of our past scholars at this celebratory event. There will be a very special photo opportunity for parents and their students.

Please use the button below to let us know you’re coming.

Warmly,
Brian Yager sig
Brian Yager
Head of School

 

Jennifer Gargano sig
Jennifer Gargano
Assistant Head of School, Academics

 

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Paul Barsky
Upper School Division Head
Please RSVP
John Near Scholars
Felix Chen
“Nothing is So Important as a Public Library”: Free Public Libraries
as a Barometer for Public Sentiment in Civil Rights America
Mentors: Carol Green and Amy Pelman

Anwen Hao
“Evolution Over Revolution: How Judicial Adaptation
Undermined Roosevelt’s Court-Packing Plan”
Mentors: Matt McCorkle, Kevin Oliver and Amy Pelman

Gabe Sachse
“Cinematic Frontiers: John Ford and Sergio Leone’s Influence
on the Western Genre”
Mentors: James Tate and Meredith Cranston

Jason Shim
“From Tuskegee to Tongnip: Yun Chi-ho’s Diaries
as a Transpacific Dialogue on Uplift, Sovereignty, and Assimilation”
Mentors: Byron Stevens and Amy Pelman
Mitra Family Scholars
Mu Jia Jiang
“Simplicity in Feeling, Totality of Grief: An Analysis of the
Manifestation of Käthe Kollwitz’s Personal Experiences in Her Art”
Mentors: Donna Gilbert, Bronwen Callahan and Meredith Cranston

Valerie Li
“Manufacturing Amnesia: How Japanese Media
and Wartime Correspondents Justified the Nanjing Massacre”
Mentors: Bronwen Callahan, Byron Stevens and Amy Pelman

Katerina Matta
“Lo pasado me estirá pa’ trás / y lo presente pa’ ‘delante”:
Analyzing Strategies of Cultural Subversion in Chicana Feminism
Mentors: Chuck Witschorik and Connie Hollin

Young Min
“The Evolution and Resilience of Korea’s Medical Benevolence”
Mentors: Jonathan Rim and Connie Hollin

Emily Mitnick
“Hmong at Heart: Understanding the Hmong American Story”
Mentors: Mark Janda and Connie Hollin

Sahngwie Yim
“Missing the Forest for the Family Tree: How Cultural Misalignment Undermined South Korea’s Family Planning Program”
Mentors: Clifford Hull and Meredith Cranston

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