College of Humanities' Outstanding Senior a Study Abroad Alum

Congratulations to the College of Humanities’ Outstanding Senior for Winter 2018, Mely Bohlman!

Bohlman graduates with a double major in Spanish and Environmental Science, and a minor in Sustainable Plant Systems. Active in undergraduate research, she found herself applying both fields on an overseas research trip, she told fellow graduates at the college’s Winter 2018 Convocation.

“Humanities mattered the most to me when I was able to merge my two majors into one study abroad program. I accomplished a lifetime dream, as I embarked on a UA faculty-led study abroad in Ecuador’s Amazon rainforest,” she said. “I felt refreshed with a new perspective and newfound appreciation for what this world offers us.”

Active in leadership roles throughout her college career, Bohlman has served as a College of Humanities Student Ambassador, for which she received the designation of ‘Most Involved Ambassador’ in 2017. She was also President of the UA Plant Science Club, a UA Alumni Association Student Ambassador, a member of the Five Star Faculty Teaching Award Committee in the Honors College and devoted time to the Women in Science and Engineering pipeline mentoring program.

“In her record one sees stellar academic performance, the strongest contributions made at the Department and College levels, a passion for sustained community engagement, an ongoing curiosity about global culture, and an inspiring model of the interconnectedness of the humanities and scientific fields,” said Benjamin Fraser, Head of the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, one of Bohlman’s faculty nominators for the award. “She is exactly the outstanding senior that we hope to graduate as a college.”

Bohlman said her education in humanities went far beyond the classroom.

“Studying a humanities discipline for me has been more than just academics. It has been a culmination of life-changing experiences. I have been moved beyond the search for the immediate and pragmatic. I have been opened to the examination of humans’ cultures, languages, histories, religions and belief systems,” she said. “I have been encouraged to reflect, appreciate and empathize with humanity.”