Holy Cross Students Earn Prestigious National Awards

Currano, a classics major from Clarksville, Md., will use his Watson fellowship pursuing his interest in melodic metal music in northern Europe in a project titled " ... And Thor's Hammer Struck a Chord: the Melodic Metal Boom from the North (Nordic metal bands)." He will meet with performers of this music as well as producers of their recordings in Germany, Sweden, Norway, and Finland, learn about the folk traditions that inspire much of it, and possibly have the chance to do some performing himself.

Maguire, a music major and the Holy Cross Organ Scholar from Amherst, N.H., will focus his project on the tradition of the blind organist in France. For much of the past two centuries this tradition provided blind musicians with a means of earning a livelihood as church organists. Brett plans to base his project in Paris, meeting surviving musicians of that tradition, and exploring the methods by which they learned their art. He also hopes to see whether he can learn to perform blindfolded, with the expectation that his aesthetic experience of the music may well be affected. Maguire was the recent first-prize winner of the Regional Young Artists Competition of the American Guild of Organists (AGO) and will perform a solo concert for the National Convention of the AGO this summer in Philadelphia. Until recently, he served as interim director of music at St. Paul Cathedral in Worcester.

In addition to Currano and Maguire, Laura D. Peynado '02 of Clinton, Mass., was named one of five alternates. Her project, "Education for the Deaf: Sign Language in Spanish-Speaking Countries," would allow her to explore her interest in Deaf communication and education in Bolivia, Guatemala, Venezuela, Mexico and Spain. These countries, differing profoundly in political, economic, and historical characteristics, all share the Spanish language (Laura's own native tongue). If any of the 60 designated Watson Fellows are unable to accept the award, alternates will be offered the opportunity.

The Watson Fellowship is an unusual opportunity afforded to 60 students each year chosen from among four nominees from each of 50 preeminent liberal arts colleges and small universities. Fellows are awarded $22,000 for this enterprise and the instructions not to return to the United States for a year. This year, Holy Cross is one of 11 schools with two winners.

Favreau, a double major in political science and sociology from North Reading, Mass., is currently studying in Washington, D.C., in the Holy Cross Washington Semester Program. One of the College's Dana Scholars, he intends to pursue a Ph.D. in government and social policy as preparation for a career in government, possibly including seeking elective office. He has coordinated the Welfare Solidarity Project of Worcester, and established the student-staffed Oncology Volunteer Effort at UMass Memorial Hospital (M.O.V.E.). These experiences, along with internships with Mass. State Senator Michael Knapik and U.S. Senator John Kerry, have made him aware of the dire need for alleviation of poverty in the United States, preferably through full employment at a living wage. An avid writer, Favreau is a long-time contributor to the College's student newspaper, The Crusader, and currently is working in Senator Kerry's press office.

Students selected to be Truman Scholars plan to embark on a career in public service. Colleges and universities can nominate up to four students for this award; it is awarded to 75 to 80 students nationwide each year. Important criteria are not only academic excellence, but also significant service and leadership that give confidence that the student will be an "agent for change" in their future career.