Announcing 2024 Summer Bridge Students

Five Humanities PhDs Selected to Support CU Organizations

Returning for its fourth year, the Humanities Without Walls (HWW) Summer Bridge experience is a continued collaborative partnership between HWW; Dr. Olivia Hagedorn, postdoctoral research associate with We CU Community Engaged Scholars; and Dr. Derek Attig, assistant dean for career & professional development in University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's Graduate College. Please join HWW in congratulating the new Summer Bridge participants!

Collage of photos of 2024 Summer Bridge students

Pictured left to right: Abigail Houkes, Virginia Leach, Dale Mize, Aubrie Powell, and Andrés Martínez Ruíz 

Abigail Houkes

Houkes (Anthropology) will be working with the Immigration Project.

As a Latina scholar, Houkes' main goal has been participating, creating, and collaborating through a community-engaged approach. With a diverse and robust skill set spanning anthropology, forensic sciences, bioethics, and community engagement, Houkes will offer valuable insights and expertise to make a positive impact.

Virginia Leach

Leach (Sociology) will be working with the Greater Community AIDS Project of East Central Illinois.

Leach's background as a sociologist helps her analyze problems from individual, community, and macro-level perspectives. She recognizes the complexities and nuances of addressing issues, particularly in the areas of oncology, health equity, and health disparities.

Dale Mize

Mize (History) will be working with the Land Connection.

Mize actively participates in community-based projects to start conversations that may otherwise not be had. He strives to create an environment where everyone has an equal opportunity to participate in history, and he is dedicated to continually learning, growing, and evolving as a professional to ensure that he is creating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community.

Aubrie Powell

Powell (Musicology) will be working with Community Center for the Arts (C4A).

Powell's knowledge as a musician, researcher, and ethnographer helps them communicate and systematically approach collaboration. Exploring song co-writing as an arts-based research method, Powell researches how artists use collaboration to negotiate identity, navigate audience expectations, and cultivate belonging in a participatory environment.

Andrés Martínez Ruiz

Ruiz (Art Education) will be working with Krannert Art Museum.

Ruiz's main interest as an artist is in recognizing that place with other people, building a horizontal and collective dialogue to explore the potential of what is being thought, what is being searched for, what is being produced, and what could be. He is passionate about spaces for collective exchange and the plural and contextual construction of knowledge from diverse backgrounds.

Bridge Program Details

Published on May 16, 2024