CWU Student Awarded Summer Fellowship To India

May 23, 2005

Contact: Dr. Sura Rath (509-963-1440/fax 509-963-1206/e-mail: raths@cwu.edu)

ELLENSBURG, Wash. - Central Washington University student Tony Aronica will get to spend part of this summer in India. A history and anthropology major in the CWU William O. Douglas Honors College (DHC), Aronica is one of just 12 students nationwide selected for the new "AIIS Summer Workshop on Indian Culture," sponsored by the American Institute for Indian Studies.

The fellowship involves a three-week, all-expense-paid trip to India. Students were selected based on "their leadership potential, academic achievement and interest in India," Dr. Sura Rath, DHC director, says. Rath nominated Aronica for the fellowship.

While in India, from July 1-21, Aronica will be involved in a three-week intensive workshop on Indian culture and India's multiculturalism, including the influence of Islam on Indian culture and history.

The workshop will include trips to areas of the country known for Indo-Muslim culture, especially in music, poetry and architecture.

The goal is to help participating students gain first-hand knowledge of the history, culture, religious institutions and peoples of India.

Aronica, from Ellensburg, is the son of Phyllis Aronica. He is a recognized member of the Yakama Nation and his grandmother Ida Nason was a Kittitas County homesteader.