Amir Aziz, recent Honors College and Croft Institute alumnus, receives NCHC awar

Samonds, John

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eGrove (Univ. of Mississippi)

University of Mississippi eGrove University of Mississippi News 10-13-2015 UM Graduate Wins Prestigious Portz Scholarship John Samonds Follow this and additional works at: https://egrove.olemiss.edu/umnews Recommended Citation Samonds, John, "UM Graduate Wins Prestigious Portz Scholarship" (2015). University of Mississippi News. 5699. https://egrove.olemiss.edu/umnews/5699 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by eGrove. It has been accepted for inclusion in University of Mississippi News by an authorized administrator of eGrove. For more information, please contact egrove@olemiss.edu. Search this website … SearchAmir Aziz and Vivian IbrahimUM Graduate Wins Prestigious Portz ScholarshipAmir Aziz, recent Honors College and Croft Institute alumnus, receives NCHCawardOCTOBER 13, 2015 BY JOHN SAMONDS, SMBHC ASSOCIATE DEANOXFORD, Miss. – Most students graduate fromcollege when they are 21 or 22. For Amir Aziz,that’s when he began college as a member ofthe University of Mississippi’s Sally McDonnellBarksdale Honors College and the CroftInstitute for International Studies.Of course, not many Ole Miss students serve inthe Singapore Armed Forces before beginningtheir college careers.Now 26, Aziz is continuing his studies this fallat the University of Texas, where he is pursuing a doctorate in French as a recipient of a prestigiousPortz Scholarship. The scholarships are given to only four honors students nationwide each year by theNational Collegiate Honors Council.While fulfilling his duty to his country, Aziz saw the movie “The Blind Side,” which is what led him toconsider UM.“I would have never heard of the university if I hadn’t (seen the movie) because in Singapore, people kepttelling me to apply to Ivy League institutions,” Aziz said. “I hadn’t really considered going to a publicuniversity until I looked up Ole Miss on the Internet. I was looking for a school that had a top-rankedhonors program and that offered international studies and Arabic as majors, and I discovered Ole Misshad it all.”Aziz applied to the university and was accepted into both the Croft Institute and the Honors College,which also awarded him a Donald S. Pichitino Scholarship. He packed his bags and headed forMississippi, even though he knew little about the state.“It has been four years since then, and I have not looked back,” he recalled. “I have enjoyed everymoment in Oxford and forged long-lasting connections with people there.”Aziz double majored in international studies and French with a minor in Arabic. In addition, he wasinstalled as a member of Phi Beta Kappa and was chosen to receive a Taylor Medal. His thesis, “Al-Arabiyyah, Le Français and the Soul of Algeria: The Language Tango between Arabic and French inAlgerian Education Policy and Defining Post-Colonial Algerian National Identity,” was selected as thebest thesis in the Middle East region by the Croft Institute.“Amir’s thesis was a unique and important contribution to several fields, not least Middle Eastern andEuropean Studies,” said Vivian Ibrahim, a Croft associate professor of Middle Eastern history whotaught Aziz in several classes at UM and advised his Croft Institute-Honors College thesis. She calledAziz “one of the very strongest students” in his classes.For his thesis, Aziz examined Algeria’s language policy and its impact on the education system, adaunting topic because Algeria is a difficult place to conduct field work and find reliable sources.However, Aziz was persistent, Ibrahim said.“Even as an undergraduate with limited research time, Amir found ways to unearth the information andpresent a truly comprehensive picture,” she said. “Utilizing his excellent command of both Arabic andFrench, Amir conducted fieldwork interviewing over 200 Algerian youths in the capital city, Algiers, overthe winter break of 2014. He presented a complex picture of how the Algerian government’s policy ofArabisation has led an education system in flux.“Overall, he displayed the deep commitment to serious research that we wish all our students had. Hedid not settle for easy or partial answers. Add to this his attention to detail and his ability to joindisparate pieces of evidence into one line of argument, and it becomes clear that Amir is exceptional.”Read the story …Read the story …Follow us on socialCampus BriefsDonations Sought for 25th AnnualBooks and Bears ProgramOXFORD, Miss. – The University ofMississippi is asking the community tohelp spread a little joy this holiday seasonby donating to the 25th annual Books andBears program. Donations such as toys,books, dolls, bicycles and other children’splay items are being accepted throughDec. 14. All donations will be collected andsortedMore Posts from this CategoryThank You To OurDonorsMississippi Excellence in CoachingFellowship Aims to Build LeadersOXFORD, Miss. – Twenty-five inauguralrecipients of the Mississippi Excellence inCoaching Fellowship – a program hostedby the University of Mississippi School ofEducation in partnership with theMississippi Association of Coaches andthe Mississippi High School ActivitiesAssociation – are expected to increasetheir impact on student-athletes and theircommunities. The coaching fellowshipMore Posts from this CategoryOle Miss In the NewsClarion-Ledger: New EssayCollection Tells the Story ofMeredith’s EnrollmentEssays celebrate 60th anniversary ofJames Meredith’s enrollment at Universityof Mississippi By Lauren Rhoades Oct. 1marks the 60th anniversary of JamesMeredith’s 1962 enrollment atthe University of Mississippi as theschool’s first African-American student.News Releases UM COVID-19 Video Gallery University Communications Ole Miss Homepage Ole Miss News BlogFacebookTwitterLin edInEmailCopyLinkSMSPrintFriendlySharFacebookTwitterInstagramLinkedInYouTubeChannelSoon after Aziz presented his thesis, the Honors College nominated him for the Portz Scholarship. InAugust, Aziz learned that he had won and will be presenting his work at the 2015 National Conferenceof NCHC, set for November in Chicago.Aziz has fond memories of his time at Ole Miss.“I always looked forward to taking Honors College classes each semester. The highlights of my collegecareer have taken place in honors classes with some of my most favorite professors: Dr. Ann Fisher-Wirth in the honors American literature survey, Dr. Robert Brown in Honors 101 and Dr. Donald Dyer inHonors Conversations. The Honors College is like a second home to me.”At Texas, Aziz’s concentration is in international law and human rights, with the goal of having a careerat the United Nations.FILED UNDER: COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS, NEWS RELEASES, SALLY MCDONNELL BARKSDALE HONORSCOLLEGERead the story …“James Meredith: Breaking the Barrier,” acollection of essays edited by UMprofessor of journalism Kathleen Wickham,honors this historic milestone withMore Posts from this CategoryRetu rn  to  to p  o f  p a ge Copyright © 2022 · Th e Un iversity  o f  M ississ ip p i

UM Graduate Wins Prestigious Portz Scholarship

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UM Graduate Wins Prestigious Portz Scholarship

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