2024 Cohort

Meet The 2024 Fellows

Our 2024 cohort are engaged in research projects that investigate the ethics of revolution, representations of South Asian belonging and alienation in U.S. literature and film, how representational shifts in ancient Greek statuary signal larger cultural shifts within ancient Greece, and how different genres of Chinese diasporic memoirs grapple with cultural identity.

Alif Kazi

Alif Kazi is a junior at Hunter College double majoring in English literature and criticism and in sociology. He is also minoring in Asian American studies and psychology. Along with being a Mellon Mays fellow, Alif is also a Thomas Hunter Honors scholar and Athena Honors scholar. He serves on the Advisory Council for the Athena Honors program and manages their social media page. He also works as a tutor to students of various ages ranging from third grade to high school students. Moreover, he has conducted research as an undergraduate research assistant through Hunter College’s AANAPISI Project.

His research interests include identity formation, migration studies, and multicultural literature. Currently, Alif’s research focuses on South Asians and their presence in the U.S. during the twentieth century and how they fit into U.S. racial dynamics. To supplement his research, he is analyzing both films and literature concerning South Asians in the U.S. and their relations with other racial groups.

Ariana Rivera

Ariana A. Rivera is a junior at Hunter College majoring in Classical archaeology and minoring in psychology with a concentration in classical studies. In addition to being a Mellon Mays fellow, she is a Thomas Hunter Honors scholar and a Bluhm scholar. Rivera is an Earle Lecture award recipient and a student ambassador for Hunter USG.

Rivera has conducted research exploring how the Dying Warrior Pediments from the Temple of Aphaia at Aegina reflect a turning point in the self-representation of Greek statuary following the beginning of the Classical period. She hopes to further understand how narrative has been used as a tool in Classic statuary to emphasize the profound impact that the Persian War had on the ancient Greeks.

She is currently conducting research on the Sleeping Eros statue at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. More specially, she is investigating its place in the intellectual currents of the time due to how it reflects Pausanias’ school of thought as described in Plato’s Symposium.

Kristen Song

Kristen Song is a sophomore at Hunter College currently pursuing a major in English and media studies and is part of Hunter's Chinese Flagship program. In addition to being a Mellon Mays fellow, Kristen is a Macaulay Honors scholar and has worked on organizing community-wide events like the CUNY Film Festival. As a Chinese-American artist interested in performative and visual mediums alike, she is interested in exploring how East Asian psychology and identity-formation are represented in various mediums. Presently, Kristen’s research focuses on comparing non-linear storytelling between memoirs and video games to represent recollected experiences within Chinese & Taiwanese households.