Student Paper Garners Top Award at Asian Studies Conference

Mary Baldwin University senior Shekira Ramdass won the prize for best undergraduate student paper at the Association for Asian Studies (AAS), Southeast Chapter’s annual conference January 16–18 at the University of Virginia.

Director of Student Activities Erin Paschal presents Shekira Ramdass with the
Director of Student Activities Erin Paschal presents Shekira Ramdass with the 2014 Global Citizenship Award. Ramdass earned top honors for her a paper she presented  this month at an Asian studies conference.

Ramdass presented her paper — her 2014 senior thesis in Asian studies, “The Socio-Economic Impact of HIV/AIDS on Indian Women” — at the three-day conference in Charlottesville. She received a certificate and $100. The southeast region of the AAS consists of institutions from the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky, and West Virginia.

It is the fourth time a Mary Baldwin University student in Asian Studies has won the top undergraduate prize at the regional conference.

Ramdass, a double major in Asian studies and international relations from Mount Rainier, Maryland, earned Mary Baldwin’s 2014 Global Citizenship Award. She spent a semester studying at Lady Doak College, Mary Baldwin’s sister school in India; has twice held summer internships at the State Department in Washington DC; has served as an active teaching assistant; and taught four sessions of Professor of Asian Studies Daniel Métraux’s Asian Women class while he recruited students in Japan and Korea. Ramdass also has given talks on Indian women and AIDS at the International Café series organized by the Spencer Center.