It was after reading Exit West in an English class last fall that Kazmi became intrigued by the role of technology in migration stories. In Exit West, magical doors open that allow people to instantly slip past international borders. “The doors are like technology,” Kazmi observed.
Kazmi, who is from Pakistan, also wanted to spend a summer devoting herself to texts outside of the Western canon. “All throughout high school and through most of Bowdoin, I’ve always read Western literature, and that is great, powerful literature, but it was time to branch out,” she said.
“I was interested in exploring writers who came from countries like mine who were writing about the world,” she added.
She’s grateful to have the summer to devote herself to reading carefully and writing a “precise, concise” paper at its conclusion. “I don’t think you can ever be a good enough writer, so I am looking forward to having two, three months to work on this project,” versus the two to three weeks typically alloted to finishing a paper during an academic term.
“Other than that, close reading is also a good skill to have,” she said. “I got this grant to do the things I love the most, which are reading and writing—it is great for me! It doesn’t feel like work.”
**This summer more than 160 students are pursuing academic research and community-based fellowships. They receive funding from a variety of sources. In many cases the Center for Cocurricular Opportunities awards fellowships for independent faculty-mentored research projects. Individual departments and programs can also draw from their own funds to give awards to students. In addition, faculty members may use outside grant-funding to hire students on their research projects. Inevitably, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, research methods have to be modified in some cases this year. Nevertheless, many of these projects are likely to serve as a springboard for senior-year independent study or honors projects.
