University of Richmond Student Awarded Beinecke Scholarship

Joanna Hejl, a junior from Lincoln, Nebraska, has been named the University of Richmond’s first ever Beinecke Scholar.

Eighteen out of more than 130 nominees were selected for this prestigious award, which provides recipients with $34,000 to support graduate studies in the arts, humanities, or social sciences. All nominees are endorsed by their university.

Hejl is double majoring in American Studies and political science and minoring in history. She plans to get a Ph.D. in either American Studies or history and wants to pursue a career in the public humanities, which focus on engaging diverse publics in reflecting on their history as related to current conditions of civic and cultural life. Her interests include education, museums, and media.

“I look forward to putting history, especially that of racism and exclusion, to work in the field of public humanities,” said Hejl. “I believe that by finding ways to share the legacies of racist practices that mar our communities, I will help others understand why they are still problems that must be addressed.”

Highlights of Hejl’s time at UR include participating in the production of "The Spirit of Armstong,” a documentary drama highlighting the history of Richmond’s Armstrong High School, bringing campus and community together as a UR Downtown student coordinator, and serving as a DeBusk Civic Fellow at Monticello.

For more information, visit The Beinecke Scholarship website.

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