Congratulations to Elah Wilson '28, Recipient of the Feinstein First Year Excellence in Writing Award

The Middle Eastern Studies department congratulates Elah Wilson '28 for winning the Arthur Feinstein 1955 Memorial Fund First Year Excellence in Writing Award. Elah's paper was submitted by Professor Andrew Simon, for the first-year seminar, Steamships to Social Media, offered through the Middle Eastern Studies program. 

Reflecting on her experience in the course, Elah shared:

"Taking "Steamships to Social Media" with Professor Andrew Simon filled in so many of the gaps I had in my understanding of the Middle East and introduced me to using social media as a primary source, which I plan to continue applying in future classes at Dartmouth. Our class discussions were always rich with diverse perspectives, and I often found myself sharing those conversations with friends and family outside of class to see what more I could learn. For the final project, I loved that there were no guardrails. It gave me the freedom to explore a topic I was genuinely excited about, resulting in a thesis that felt both original and deeply personal."

Professor Simon praised Elah's work, noting:

"Elah wrote a brilliant paper on population politics in Iran that raises broader questions concerning nationalism, religion, and economic realities. The resulting project was not only well-researched, but thought-provoking".

About the Award:

The First Year Excellence in Writing Award, made possible by the Arthur Feinstein 1955 Memorial Fund, is for "the best piece of writing by a first-year student in one of the first-year writing courses."