Giving Thanks: Scholarship Helps History and Russian Studies Student Reach Dream of Working in Academia

This January, members of our Fulbright College Family are sharing expressions of gratitude, letters of thanks and their appreciation for those who have helped make their educational journey possible. 

Meet Anna Natasha Raezer, who thanks to the David W. Edwards Scholarship Fund, is one step closer to her dream of working in academia in Russian, Eastern European and Eurasian history.

David W. Edwards Scholarship Fund Recipient Anna Natasha Raezer

Name: Anna Natasha Raezer
Hometown: Springdale, AR
Graduation: 2023

Major(s)/Minor(s): History and International and Global studies major, Russian Studies minor

Activities/Interests: I participate in the Russian-Eurasian Student Organization, including the Russian conversation table “The Nose.” I will be spending the summer studying Russian with the University of Pittsburgh’s Summer Language Institute. I am also applying to work on a research project with Howard University’s Summer Language Institute, which would culminate with a presentation at the Association for Slavic, Eastern European, and Eurasian Studies conference in Philadelphia. In my free time, I am an avid reader, I love film, and I am an amateur cook. 

Career Aspirations: I intend to begin applying to doctoral programs for Russian, Eastern European, and Eurasian history in fall 2023 and pursue a career in academia.

In her own words:

Dear Dr. Edwards & Ms. Lennox,

I am writing to thank you for your contributions to the David W. Edwards Scholarship Fund. Your generosity will be extraordinarily helpful to me next year as I pursue my academic goals at the University of Arkansas and beyond.

I am a senior History and International and Global Studies student at the University of Arkansas on track to graduate in December 2023. I have received the J. Harry and Catherine H. Wood Scholarship for the 2022-2023 academic year, as well as the Gordon McNeil Award in European History for the best undergraduate paper on European history for 2022-2023.

I have studied Russian intensively since starting my undergraduate degree, including in Batumi, Georgia as part of a study abroad program and with the University of Pittsburgh’s Summer Language Institute. I also have presented my research on football hooliganism in Putin’s Russia, produced as part of Howard University’s REEES Think Tank, at the Association of Slavic, Eastern European, and Eurasian Studies (ASEEES) annual conference in Chicago. I will be returning to Pittsburgh’s Summer Language Institute this summer and hope to work with the REEES think tank again. I plan to begin applying to doctoral programs for Russian, Eastern European, and Eurasian history in fall 2023.

I am an independent, non-traditional student at the University of Arkansas, meaning my education is funded entirely by myself, federal grants, and generous donors like yourself.

This scholarship will allow me to finish my final semester and apply to graduate school without having to devote most of my free time to a full-time job. I hope to be able to finish my undergraduate education strong and move to the next stage of my academic career with confidence.

I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your generosity.

Sincerely,

Anna Natasha Raezer

For more information about the David W. Edwards Scholarship Fund or to make a year-end gift to support the college’s students, faculty, or staff, please contact Fulbright College’s Office of Development and External Relations at 479-575-3712 or fulbright@uark.edu.