2020 – Gabrielle Tropp
When I toured Lafayette during my junior year of high school, I felt I had a pretty good idea of the model Lafayette student, a person engaged in the classroom, involved in activities on campus, supportive of their friends and communities, who tries to make their world a better place. I set a goal that during my time at Lafayette, I would strive to meet the challenge of becoming that person.
From my first day of classes freshman year, I knew that there was a whole world of knowledge and perspectives for me to discover, and I would never stop trying to learn more. Particularly, I felt challenged by my History and Spanish classes to seek new understandings of the world and to create more inclusive narratives.
I have been a part of activities in all sections of campus life. Writing and designing for The Lafayette challenged me to seek out and report the truth. Participating in and leading Hillel connected me to myself and others on a new level and gave me a passion for bettering Lafayette. Interfaith Council showed me the importance of solidarity, cooperation, and respect between people of all backgrounds. In joining Quidditch, I became a competitive athlete and learned about team spirit. Co-founding the Linguistics Club helped me to see the world in a new way through different systems of writing and thought.
Supporting my friends and communities came naturally to me. Who isn’t proud to see their friends perform on stage or host a documentary screening? But this also meant hours spent petitioning the college administration when minority communities on campus were facing moments of strife. When I used my voice and my pen to make Lafayette an unconditionally welcoming space for everyone, I felt most aligned with the Lafayette ideal.
Other Information: Last year, the Faculty Teaching and Learning Committee changed the Dean’s Excuses policy to include religious observances as a reason which students could be excused from class. I was one of the two students who led that initiative, bringing it before then‐provost Abu Rizvi, Student
Government, President Byerly, the campus community, and the FTLC.
Academic Activity/Award 1:
Linguistics Club|3|Freshman year, a group of us discovered a common interest in languages. We founded the Linguistics Club to create a space on campus for thinking about language on a macro scale. We talked about different languages and linguistic principles every week, all with the goal of discovering how the ways we express ourselves affects the way we see the world around us.
Academic Activity/Award 2:
EXCEL Scholar Program|3|I have worked as an EXCEL Scholar in the Spanish and History Departments. In Spanish, I worked on translations of punk poetry from the Internal Armed Conflict of Peru. I presented my research as a Student Research Poster Session during the fall semester 2018. In History, I am working
with primary sources to understand the social norms of yerba mate drinking. I also work with digital humanities practices, creating metadata for primary source images and using it to sort photo archives thematically, chronologically, or by other criteria.
Academic Activity/Award 3:
Writing Asscociate|2|I was a Writing Associate with the College Writing Program for 2 years. Each year, I worked with the students of Spanish 211 to make sure their writing was meeting the standards set by their professors. I guided students in organizing, explaining, and proving arguments. I always tried to make sure every student walked out of WA conferences feeling empowered to write the best paper possible.
Academic Activity/Award 4:
Senior Thesis|1|Inspired by what I experienced and learned about during a semester abroad in Granada, Spain, I am writing my senior thesis about Spanish nationalism. I narrowed my focus to think about the imagined community of Spaniards in the 20th century, particularly how people saw themselves through
the figure of El Cid, the main character of a medieval epic poem.
Academic Activity/Award 5:
Phi Alpha Theta ‐ History Honors Society|3|I was inducted into Phi Alpha Theta during the spring of my sophomore year. This honors society recognizes students who have taken and excelled in multiple history classes. This semester I was a part of the jury for the new Phi Alpha Theta paper prize.
Academic Activity/Award 6:
Phi Beta Kappa ‐ General Academic Honors Society|1.5|I became a member of Phi Beta Kappa during the spring of my junior year. This honors society recognizes the top students at the College who “demonstrate breadth in their coursework and a commitment to l
Academic Activity/Award 7:
Colonel Wilson B. Powell ’32 Paper Prize|Spring 2019|This prize is awarded annually to the student who writes the strongest paper for an upper‐level history seminar. I wrote my paper for History 368: Latin American Popular and Material Culture about postcolonial ideas of self expressed through the religious
symbology employed by Andean indigenous artist Edilberto Jiménez Quispe.
Campus Service Activity /Award 1:
The Lafayette|3|I have been both a staff writer and staff designer for The Lafayette over the last four years. I wrote for the news section, and always sought to find the truth about issues on campus to share with the community. I did layout design for the Arts&Culture section.
Community Service 1:
Challah for Hunger/Bake a Change|3|Every spring, Hillel runs an event which is now called Bake a Change. We spend an afternoon baking loaves of bread which are later sent to Safe Harbor and Third Street Alliance. We try to use this event to educate our community about food insecurity in the Lehigh Valley.
Community Service 2:
Esther’s Helpers|3|Esther’s Helpers is a fundraiser and product drive that benefits Third Street Alliance. In Jewish tradition, around the holiday of Purim, people give each other gift baskets. Since this holiday is focused on women’s agency, Hillel started this event to donate feminine hygiene products, grooming supplies, and cleaning products to Third Street Alliance, which is a Women and Children’s Shelter in Easton.
Community Service 3:
Relay for Life|2|Relay for Life has been a really important event to me. Cancer has taken its toll on my family and friends, so I co‐captained a team of relayers. We did cancer education at our team meetings leading up to the event each year, and spent the entire event walking and carrying the torch for those too weak to walk. Freshman year I was one of the top fundraisers at Lafayette.
Athletic Activity /Award 1:
Club Quidditch|3|I joined Club Quidditch my sophomore year as a totally inexperienced athlete. My involvement in the sport has taught me a lot about teamwork. It has also been a great way to have fun and relieve stress. We travel to tournaments, and we have always done our best as a team to comport ourselves with dignity, particularly when we lose. When I served as Vice President, one of my main goals was to boost team morale.
Special Interest Activity/Award 1:
Aaron O. Hoff Emerging Leader Award|Spring 2018|I received this award my sophomore spring. The award recognizes the students who demonstrate the qualities of a leader.
Special Interest Activity/Award 2:
Lafayette Hillel|4|I have been a member of Hillel since the first week of freshman year. Since joining the board for Spring 2017, I have been Vice President of Religious and Cultural Education, President, and House Manager. I rewrote our Passover seder to make it more inclusive and reflective of progressive celebration. I was a part of the protests across campus against Nigel Farage’s debate on campus, meeting with the President and Provost, and writing an opinion piece in The Lafayette. My favorite Hillel program was a Community Shabbat that we hosted as a counter‐event to his debate. I also led a campaign to make religious observances a reason that students could be awarded a Dean’s Excuse.
Special Interest Activity/Award 3:
Founders’ Fellow at the Hebrew Union College ‐ Jewish Institute of Religion|1|This year‐long program was a cohort‐based fellowship of college students who wanted to start initiatives to change Jewish life at their schools. Here at Lafayette, I ran a series of religious text studies, looking at passages from theHebrew Bible with Hillel members. I also ran an Interfaith Text Study with people from many religious backgrounds, during which we compared viewpoints on a story that many religions share. The purpose of my initiative was to encourage students to ask questions and take ownership of their religious traditions.
Special Interest Activity/Award 4:
Published on the Reader’s Forum of eJewish Philanthropy|1|eJewish Philanthropy is a website that publishes articles pertaining to American Jewish life. After I spent a summer at a Conservative Movement camp, I wrote a reflection on my time there, particularly in regard to inclusion in Jewish communities. This fall, when my synagogue faced a bomb threat and had to be evacuated, I wrote
another reflection piece published by the Reader’s Forum.
Special Interest Activity/Award 5:
Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley Levy Hillel Leadership Award|Spring 2019|Every year, this award is given to a student from each of the LVAIC colleges who represents the qualities of a leader and shows active participation in and awareness of their abilities.