{"id":4756,"date":"2025-06-10T10:24:26","date_gmt":"2025-06-10T14:24:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/artsci.case.edu\/magazine\/?p=4756"},"modified":"2025-07-03T12:45:14","modified_gmt":"2025-07-03T16:45:14","slug":"programs-that-open-doors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/artsci.case.edu\/magazine\/2025\/programs-that-open-doors\/","title":{"rendered":"Programs that open doors\u2014to new careers, cultures and confidence"},"content":{"rendered":"

Donor-funded experiences are helping undergraduates at <\/span>Case Western Reserve<\/span><\/a>\u2019s <\/span>College of Arts and Sciences<\/span><\/a> go farther\u2014literally and figuratively.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

From researching ancient Ayurvedic medicine in India to co-directing children\u2019s musicals in Prague, students have pursued immersive experiences that shape careers, spark passions and expand worldviews.<\/span><\/p>\n

With donor support, undergraduates in the college have pursued internships, research and study-abroad experiences that might otherwise have been out of reach.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

These programs have made a difference in the lives of many alumni. Read on to learn about some of their stories\u2014including one about an alumna who reciprocated, creating a fund at the college.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"A

Grace Ingham<\/p><\/div>\n

Grace Ingham (CWR \u201923)<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Feldman Summer Internship Grant (2021)<\/em><\/h3>\n


\nAs a psychology and theater major, Grace Ingham wanted to explore costume-shop management. The<\/span> Feldman grant<\/span><\/a> gave her the financial flexibility to accept an unpaid, customized summer internship at the Cleveland Play House. Working closely with the costume-shop manager, she styled wigs across historical periods, dyed fabrics and added surface texturing to materials.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt felt like a \u2018choose your own adventure\u2019 opportunity,\u201d she said. \u201cI got to dive into the parts of theater that genuinely excited me and build something really personal to my interests.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The grant was established by Matt (WRC \u201975)<\/strong> and Ellen (WRC \u201975) Feldman<\/strong>, longtime supporters of the college.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ingham also gained a surprising new perspective when she had the chance to see the theater\u2019s leaders strategize on how best to respond to post-pandemic calls for racial and social justice. \u201cThat experience cracked open a bigger world,\u201d she said. \u201cI realized I cared as much about the systems behind the scenes as I did about the stage itself.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

That summer helped her see how art, education and advocacy could intersect in new ways. \u201cTheater gave me creativity; psychology gave me empathy,\u201d said Ingham, a high school English teacher near Charlotte, North Carolina, and a master\u2019s student in social work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. \u201cThose are my teaching tools now\u2014and they\u2019re just as important as the curriculum.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Muskan

Muskan Sidhu<\/p><\/div>\n

Muskan Sidhu (CWR \u201923)<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Jonathan F. Plimpton Experiential Learning Fellowship in Anthropology (2022)<\/em><\/h3>\n


\nAs a medical anthropology major, Muskan Sidhu (CWR \u201923) traveled to New Delhi, India, with support from the college\u2019s <\/span>Plimpton Fellowship<\/span><\/a> to conduct ethnographic research at the Aastha Ayurvedic Clinic. There, she studied why patients in a modern urban setting prefer Ayurveda\u2014a traditional Indian system of medicine based on natural therapies and holistic principles\u2014over Western medicine, which emphasizes clinical diagnostics and pharmaceutical treatments.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Her interviews with patients and practitioners formed the basis of her senior thesis and helped inspire her master\u2019s thesis at the University of Cambridge, where she explored traditional Chinese medicine in the United States.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

She also gained early experience working with research design and related protocols\u2014skills she now uses as a CWRU School of Medicine student.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI always knew I\u2019d go to medical school,\u201d said Sidhu, who is finishing her first year in the program. \u201cBut anthropology helped me see medicine as a cultural practice\u2014not just a science.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Her undergraduate fellowship was made possible by a gift from Jonathan F. Plimpton <\/strong>(ADL \u201970), who established the fund to support anthropology majors conducting independent research abroad.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sidhu hopes to become a physician who embraces collaboration between Western and traditional medicine systems, particularly in chronic care. \u201cIf doctors don\u2019t understand what their patients are taking\u2014herbs, supplements, acupuncture\u2014they can\u2019t give the best care,\u201d she said. \u201cWe need more culturally aware physicians. This fellowship showed me how much healing can happen when doctors understand\u2014not dismiss\u2014patients\u2019 beliefs.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Emma

Emma Carson<\/p><\/div>\n

Emma Carson (CWR \u201924)<\/strong><\/h2>\n

C.H. Cramer Intern Fellowship (2023)<\/em><\/h3>\n


\nAs a rising fourth-year student, Emma Carson returned to the Lakewood Project\u2014her high school\u2019s pioneering rock orchestra\u2014not as a performer, but as an aspiring educator.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Lakewood, Ohio, program had inspired her to pursue a degree and career in music education in the first place, and the <\/span>Cramer fellowship<\/span><\/a> gave her the opportunity to give back in a new role.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI did everything from helping students in rehearsals to managing logistics for concerts,\u201d she said of her internship. \u201cThat kind of hands-on work prepared me for the realities of teaching in ways I didn\u2019t expect.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The fellowship was made possible by an anonymous donor in honor of historian Clarence Henley Cramer<\/a><\/strong>, PhD, who began teaching at Western Reserve University in 1949 and was later dean of Adelbert College for 15 years.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Now in her first year as full-time orchestra director at The Wellington School, an independent school in Upper Arlington near Columbus, Ohio, Carson draws on her Lakewood Project experience daily. Its emphasis on improvisation, student voice and risk-taking continues to shape her creative, student-centered teaching style. \u201cIt\u2019s a really creative space,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd I try to bring those same elements into my interactions with students now.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The fellowship also made the unpaid experience financially feasible. \u201cIt gave me the confidence and real-world experience to start my career strong,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Anna

Anna Cormier<\/p><\/div>\n

Anna Cormier (CWR \u201923)<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Francis J. and Earla E. Rocks Experiential Learning Fellowship (2022)<\/em><\/h3>\n


\nAnna Cormier used her fellowship\u2014known in the college as \u201c<\/span>The Rocks<\/span><\/a>\u201d\u2014to fund two theater internships in the Czech Republic: one with the Prague Youth Theatre and the other with the Prague Shakespeare Co. She co-directed children\u2019s musicals, taught acting classes and stage-managed productions, all while completing her senior capstone project.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPrague\u2019s theater scene is huge and international,\u201d she said. \u201cI worked with students from all over the world and staged Shakespearean productions. It was exhausting\u2014and amazing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The fellowship was created through a gift from James E. Rocks<\/strong>, PhD (ADL \u201961), in honor of his parents and to support immersive, independent projects in the arts, humanities and social sciences.<\/span><\/p>\n

Cormier also conducted an original research project comparing how socioeconomic factors in Prague and Cleveland affect young people’s access to theater education and participation in theatrical performances. That experience sparked a lasting interest in promoting educational equity.<\/span><\/p>\n

After graduation, Cormier taught in Taiwan. She is now a third-grade teacher in Charlotte, North Carolina. Her Prague experience helped develop a passion for cross-cultural education and creative, student-centered learning. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t have gone to Asia after graduation\u2014or be the kind of teacher I am now\u2014if not for how The Rocks shaped my path,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"A

Alexander Brucker<\/p><\/div>\n

Alexander Brucker, PharmD (CWR \u201920)<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Eirik B\u00f8rve Fund for Foreign Language Instruction (2018)<\/em><\/h3>\n


\nItaly was always part of Alexander Brucker\u2019s story\u2014even as he grew up more than an ocean away, near Pittsburgh. His mother\u2019s family is Italian, and he was surrounded by the rhythms of the language and the pull of a culture that felt like home.<\/span><\/p>\n

At Case Western Reserve, he majored in biochemistry\u2014and also took Italian language courses. \u201cIt gave me a chance to tap into a completely different part of myself,\u201d he said. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t just about the words\u2014it was about where my family comes from.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

That connection grew stronger in 2018 when Brucker enrolled in \u201cThe Italian Experience,\u201d a three-week undergraduate spring immersion course led by Denise Caterinacci, a senior instructor and the Italian language section head.<\/span><\/p>\n

With support from the college\u2019s Eirik B\u00f8rve Fund for Foreign Language Instruction (read more about the fund below)<\/i>, he traveled with classmates to towns and cities across central Italy\u2014and even spoke entirely in Italian with a vineyard owner about the land, grapes and seasonal cycles.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe weren\u2019t just tourists,\u201d he said. \u201cWe were sharing meals. Listening. Watching how people interacted. That\u2019s how you really learn a language\u2014and a culture.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Now a pharmacist outside Pittsburgh, Brucker still studies Italian and dreams of one day working abroad. \u201cThat trip turned my interest into something deeper and lasting,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Brucker also knows the experience wouldn\u2019t have been possible without donor support. \u201cSomebody I\u2019ve never met gave me this opportunity,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s been life changing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\"A

Thalia Dorwick<\/p><\/div>\n

A CWRU Grant Recipient Turned Travel-Fund Founder<\/h1>\n

Thalia Dorwick, PhD (FSM \u201966, GRS \u201973, romance languages)<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Founder, Eirik B\u00f8rve Fund for Foreign Language Instruction<\/em><\/h3>\n


\nIn 1968, while pursuing graduate studies in romance languages at Case Western Reserve, Thalia Dorwick received a fellowship that allowed her to spend nearly a year living in Madrid. The experience was transformative.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI could analyze poetry in Spanish,\u201d she said. \u201cBut daily life abroad showed me what real fluency truly meant.\u201d The difference between understanding language on the page and navigating it in kitchens, markets and conversations sparked a lasting belief in the power of immersive learning.<\/span><\/p>\n

That belief shaped her life\u2019s work, which focused on foreign-language instruction. She taught at Allegheny College and California State University, Sacramento, and later became vice president and editor-in-chief of humanities, social sciences and languages at McGraw-Hill Higher Education, where she influenced language education on a national scale. She developed and wrote textbooks that featured voices from around the world and supported instruction that emphasized fluency, cultural understanding and active use of foreign languages in everyday contexts.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dorwick was on the CWRU Board of Trustees for many years and served as its vice chair and co-chair of the university\u2019s last capital campaign. She is now a trustee emerita and a longtime member of the Kelvin Smith Library and College of Arts and Sciences Visiting Committees.<\/span><\/p>\n

Grateful for a fellowship that expanded her worldview, Dorwick established the Eirik B\u00f8rve Chair in Modern Languages and the Eirik Borve Fund for Foreign Language Instruction in the college\u2019s Department of Modern Languages and Literatures. It was important, Dorwick said, to her to give back to the university that had given her so much.<\/span><\/p>\n

Named for her publishing mentor and colleague, the endowments (initially funded at nearly $6 million, with additional donations since then) have multiple purposes: to support the work of a specialist in foreign language instruction, to encourage innovation in instruction in the modern languages department, and to provide support for immersive learning, including short- or long-term study abroad.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to create opportunities for students who might not have imagined going abroad,\u201d she said. \u201cEvery culture is its own bubble. Getting out of that bubble is one of the best educations a person can have.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Donor-funded experiences are helping undergraduates at Case Western Reserve<\/a>\u2019s College of Arts and Sciences<\/a> go farther\u2014literally and figuratively.\u00a0
\nFrom researching ancient Ayurvedic medicine in India to co-directing children\u2019s musicals in Prague, students have pursued immersive experiences that shape careers, spark passions and expand worldviews. …Read more.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":481,"featured_media":4750,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":""},"categories":[70],"tags":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/artscimedia.case.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/147\/2025\/06\/10095842\/Grace_Ingham_Headshot-no-name-edited.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/artsci.case.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4756"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/artsci.case.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/artsci.case.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artsci.case.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/481"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artsci.case.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4756"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/artsci.case.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4756\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4933,"href":"https:\/\/artsci.case.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4756\/revisions\/4933"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artsci.case.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4750"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/artsci.case.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4756"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artsci.case.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4756"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artsci.case.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4756"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}