Students Receive Awards at Graduation

Every year, the faculty awards scholarship prizes as voted on by the faculty. Below are the winners.

There were three new prizes this year that reflect the history, identity, and values of Hartford International University:

Adelaide Locke Prize

Awarded to a degree program student who “has demonstrated notable proficiency or interest in the field of scriptural studies.” The prize is in the name of Adelaide Locke who was part of the second class of women admitted full-time in 1892, and captured the Hebrew, Greek, and Theology prizes during her studies. 

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This prize went to Heather Brubaker, “Whose Pain Matters? Theodicy and Gender in the Book of Job and The Tales of the Prophets” (nominated by Dr. David D. Grafton)

Ibrahim Abu Rabi' Prize

Awarded to a student whose proficiency in Christian-Muslim studies or commitment to interreligious relations is noteworthy. The prize is named for the highly respected Professor of Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations at HIU, 1991–2008, and the first Muslim in the U.S. to hold such a post. 

This prize went to Sidra Mahmood, “Theological Paradigms on Human crisis and Suffering” (nominated by Dr. David D. Grafton)

Mahmoud Ayoub Prize

Awarded to a degree-program student who has demonstrated notable proficiency. The prize is named for a beloved Shia scholar who served HIU as a Faculty Associate of Christian-Muslim Relations for many years.

This prize went to Jacob Haq for the poem “Boundaries” (nominated by Dr. Timur Yuskaev)

Other student prizes:

The Hartranft Scholarship

Awarded to the degree program student who has “demonstrated excellence in written expression.” The prize is named for Chester David Hartranft, President of the Seminary from 1889 to 1903 and Professor of Biblical and Ecclesiastical History for 36 years. Our recipient this year was:

Kyra Jenny, “Re-Imaging God Out of the Closet: Towards an Expansive Queer Concept of the Divine” (nominated by Dr. Deena Grant)

Honorable mention: Syazana Durrani, “Colonial Theodicy and the Reflective Practice of Decolonization in Chaplaincy” (nominated by Dr. Hans Harmakaputra)

Celie J. Terry Prize

Awarded to a student who demonstrates a commitment to academic achievement and excellence in interfaith community work in his or her local context. This prize is given in honor of a cherished employee of Mr. Sanford Cloud, Jr., who is a former chair of the Hartford Seminary board of trustees. The award is a monetary prize in addition to copies of the sacred texts from the three Abrahamic faiths. 

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This prize went to Imbran Bonde (Master of Arts in International Peacebuilding)

As a child, Imbran Bonde survived interreligious violence in his hometown of Poso in Indonesia. As an adult, he is committed to building strong relationships between Christians and Muslims in Poso to prevent such violence from happening again. He is starting with children and with books. Few children in Poso have books at home, so he has founded a community library called Rodo nDaya. Imbran believes deeply that fiction is crucial for developing imagination, and imagination is critical to peacebuilding, for how else can we envision a world that is better than the one we have? Rodo nDaya is developing partnerships with other community libraries which will allow Christian and Muslim children to imagine a better world together. 

Preaching Competition Winner

Awarded for the most outstanding oral presentation of thoughts, beliefs, and values among our MA and Certificate students.

The award went to Anthony Hill – Black Ministers Program