Winthrop resident Bailey Roberts receives award as Saint Michael's College top student in French literature

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Bailey Roberts of Winthrop, Saint Michael's top French student

COLCHESTER, VT (05/13/2011)(readMedia)-- Bailey Roberts, the daughter of the Rev. Elizabeth Bailey-Mitchell of Baileyville, Maine, and the Rev. Harbour Mitchell III of Waldoboro, Maine, was recognized with an award for the top student in French literature at Saint Michael's College, of Burlington, Vermont, one of the top 10 college towns in America.

Ms. Roberts received the Danielle Miller Award in French, created and given by Saint Michael's graduate, Christina Reiss, at ceremonies on campus May 4th. The awarded included a $500 gift. Judge Reiss chose to honor one of her own favorites, the late professor of French, Danielle Miller.

The Honorable Christina Reiss, a 1984 graduate of Saint Michael's, is a Federal Judge for the United States District Court of Vermont nominated by President Obama and confirmed in 2009.

In presenting the award, Judge Reiss spoke eloquently about the value of a liberal arts education and the importance of knowing a second language in today's world.

Ms. Roberts is the first recipient of the annual award which is for "the most dedicated and meritorious senior Saint Michael's College student in French" to be selected by the chair of the Modern Languages Department, in consultation with faculty members of the department.

Ms. Roberts, who was inducted this year into the Saint Michael's chapter of the national honor society Phi Beta Kappa, was described as a particularly strong writer, both in French and in English. She served as a writing coach for the college's writing center. Her professor in a course on Haitian culture, Dr. Joseph Ferdinand, is encouraging her to publish her work, an analysis of a Haitian parody on the "Snow White" story, complete with voodoo themes and characters.

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 nations Best 371 Colleges, and is included in the 2011 Fiske Guide to Colleges. Saint Michael's is one of only 280 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 top-100, Best Liberal Arts Colleges as listed in the 2011 U.S. News & World Report rankings.

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