Alum is first Spider to earn prestigious Latin American fellowship

When Spiders set their sights on something, chances are they’ll achieve it. Take Madison Sweitzer, '19, for example, who has become the first Richmond grad to receive the prestigious Princeton in Latin America fellowship for the coming year.

She will teach and mentor students at a STEM school in the Dominican Republic, expanding on her past service in Guatemala with the Highland Support Project, a nonprofit founded by UR alum Ben Blevins, R’91.

“Due to my time at UR spent studying and volunteering abroad in Argentina, interning in Guatemala, and mentoring local Latinx students through Scholars Latino Initiative in the local area, this fellowship feels like the perfect next step to build upon these experiences,” Sweitzer said. “I'm hoping to utilize and continue to build upon the skills I've gained from the LALIS department.”

Since this fellowship is only awarded to accomplished college grads, it’s no surprise Sweitzer is one of the select few. Congratulations, Madison!