Marist Senior Robin Miniter From Ipswich Earns Fulbright Scholarship to India

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (05/16/2011)(readMedia)-- Four years ago, Marist College senior Robin Miniter caught the travel bug when she signed on to spend a year in Florence, Italy, as part of Marist's Florence Freshman Experience. Now, after completing her bachelor's degree, Miniter is hitting the road again, this time as the recipient of a prestigious Fulbright U.S. Student Program Scholarship.

This fall, Miniter will pursue research on the development of women's rugby in India, an undertaking which perfectly fuses her interests in gender issues, sociology of sport and photography.

"Sports can be a means of limitation as well as of liberation; it all depends on the perspective you take," said Miniter, a communication major with a concentration in journalism and minors in global studies and women's studies. "Generally, though, sports create opportunity and are vehicles for empowerment. I want to see how women's rugby, a contact sport which is still slowly being accepted in the Western world, is fitting into India's unique, complex social system."

To say Miniter will finally feed her travel appetite this fall would be a bit misleading. The Ipswich, Mass., native, who completed her coursework in December, is currently studying in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, through a School for International Training program on "Sexuality and Gender Studies."

"It feels so fitting that this has all come full circle," said Miniter, who will walk in Marist's undergraduate commencement ceremony on May 21. "My experiences at Marist have not only cultivated my love for travel, but also my understanding of home, a sense of sensitivity and respect, and most importantly, an appreciation for the people with whom I've crossed paths, at home and abroad, who've inspired me to stay passionate and keep moving."

The Fulbright Program, administered by the Institute of International Education, is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between people in the U.S. and people in other countries. Annually, the Fulbright Program, which was founded in 1946, provides 8,000 grants to students, scholars, teachers, artists, and scientists in 155 countries to contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns. Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields.

In her proposal for the ultra-competitive scholarship, Miniter claimed the rise of women's rugby in India, a customarily masculine activity, is indicative of a potential recasting of traditional Indian gender roles. She will document, through the lens of her camera and interviews, the evolution of these changes.

Miniter, whose younger sister was adopted from Nagpur, India, also established a personal connection with rugby as a member of Marist's nationally ranked club team.

"I came to college never having touched a rugby ball and have since then watched the sport grow exponentially within the past few years all over the world," said Miniter.

Following her Fulbright grant year in India, Miniter is contemplating the pursuit of a master's degree, ideally through the International Reporting Curriculum at the Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. Her long-term aspirations include employment with an international nonprofit organization engaged in work on women and gender issues.

During her time at Marist, Miniter has received recognition for her photography from the National Association of Photoshop Professionals, spearheaded public relations initiatives for the Literary Arts Society (LAS), participated in the Marist Emerging Leaders Program, and served as lifestyles editor, photography editor, and staff writer for the college's student newspaper The Circle.

The primary source of funding for the Fulbright Program is an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Participating governments, host institutions, corporations and foundations in foreign countries and in the United States also provide direct and indirect support.

"I'm thrilled that perhaps I'll be in the right place at the right time to document the changes in India with my camera," said Miniter. "And, of course, maybe I can throw around a ball and hit a few rucks in my down time."

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