Alyssa Malone of Plattsburgh receives the Saint Michael's College Marta Umanzor Study-Abroad Scholarship

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Saint Michael's student Alyssa Malone of Plattsburgh to study in Peru

COLCHESTER, VT (07/20/2010)(readMedia)-- Saint Michael's College student Alyssa Malone will be venturing far from home this fall as she carries out a study-abroad independent research project in Cusco, Peru. Ms. Malone, the daughter of Daniel and Josephine Malone of Plattsburgh, was awarded a $1,000 stipend to support her research through the SMC Marta Umanzor Study Abroad Scholarship program.

Ms. Malone, who is double majoring in political science and Spanish, with a minor in journalism, received strong endorsement for her work in Hispanic Literary Studies from her professor, Dr. Carolyn Lukens-Olsen.

The scholarship, established by Ellen Bernstein, a student of retired SMC Professor Marta Umanzor, honors the professor's "skill as a teacher of Spanish language, her ability to breathe life into Spanish literature, and her devotion to and love for her students."

Ms. Malone speaks with excitement about her study. "The turbulent political history, geography, and style of literature that originates from Latin America fascinates me," she says. Her program begins with six weeks of study in Cusco, followed by travel and research. Her focus will be on "the merging of traditional culture with modern day ideals," especially in viewing "how recent changes have affected the Incas' way of life."

She says, "I cannot tell you how excited I am to . . . live in an Andean village with the Incas and see Machu Picchu."

Learn What Matters at Saint Michael's College, The Edmundite Catholic liberal arts college, www.smcvt.edu . Saint Michael's provides education with a social conscience, producing graduates with the intellectual tools to lead successful, purposeful lives that will contribute to peace and justice in our world. Founded in 1904 by the Society of St. Edmund and headed by President John J. Neuhauser, Saint Michael's College is located three miles from Burlington, Vermont, one of America's top college towns. It is identified by the Princeton Review as one of the nation's Best 371 Colleges, and will be included in the 2011 Fiske Guide to Colleges. Saint Michael's is one of only 270 colleges and universities nationwide, one of only 20 Catholic colleges, with a Phi Beta Kappa chapter. Saint Michael's has 1,900 undergraduate students, some 500 graduate students and 100 international students. Saint Michael's students and professors have received Rhodes, Woodrow Wilson, Pickering, Guggenheim, Fulbright, and other grants. The college is one of the nation's Best Liberal Arts Colleges as listed in the 2009 U.S. News & World Report rankings.

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