The Robert T. Anderson Award in Religious Studies is bestowed each year on the soon-to-be senior Religious Studies major who has the highest grade point average—a reward for their hard work and dedication to their studies, and motivation to carry it through their senior year.
The 2020 recipient was senior Lauren Chapman, who is dual majoring in Religious Studies and Women’s and Gender Studies, and minoring in Japanese. After three years of hard work, she certainly feels rewarded.
“I always strive for academic excellence,” she said, “and while there have inevitably been many challenges over the years, it was very exciting to see my effort paying off.”
Lauren is particularly interested in the way religion gives insight into cultures and the relationships within them, and how those topics can be applied to peace, development and international relations—something she hopes to pursue, possibly working with women and children through the Peace Corps, after graduation.
I believe in paying it forward. I would like to help students get their degree or help faculty advance their research in Religious Studies. By studying religion, we may better understand each other, even if we do not agree.