Katherine Di Lucido '15 Will Study at McGill University as Part of Exchange Program

Katherine Di Lucido ’15 has won a Killam Fellowship and will be traveling to Montreal, Canada, to study at McGill University as part of an exchange program run by Fulbright Canada.

Fulbright Canada is a joint, binational, treaty-based organization created to encourage mutual understanding between Canada and the United States of America through academic and cultural exchange. Fulbright Canada is supported by the Canadian government, through Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada; by the United States government, through the Department of State; and by a diverse group of corporate sponsors, charitable trusts, and university partners. The Killam Fellowships Program provides an opportunity for exceptional undergraduate students from universities in the United States to spend either one semester or a full academic year as an exchange student in Canada. Through the same program, Wellesley will welcome a Canadian Killam Fellow from Dalhousie University this year.

“I applied to the Killam Fellowship as a way to study abroad at McGill University in Montreal, a university I've always wanted to attend and a city I've always wanted to live in,” said Di Lucido. “As I was applying, I realized that the Killam was much more than a funding source—it's an incredible program that facilitates connections between the U.S. and Canada.”

According to the Fulbright Canada website, the Killam Fellowships Program provides a cash award of US $5,000 per semester, and includes a three day orientation in Ottawa, and a three day spring seminar in Washington. In addition, the Foundation provides all American Killam Fellows with a health insurance allowance of $500 Cdn. All Killam Fellows are also eligible to apply for an in-country travel grant of up to $800 Cdn, to allow students to undertake an educational field trip, providing the Fellows with the opportunity to gain a fuller understanding of the culture in Canada. Killam alumni are also eligible to apply for various enrichment opportunities such as the Fulbright Canada Alumni Internship Program, the Killam Community Action Initiative, and the Local Ambassador Program.

While she is in Montreal, Di Lucido plans to brush up on her French and study urban economics, with a focus on urban sustainability. “As an economics major, I began to see the fellowship as a way to study abroad while furthering my understanding of the economic and political relationship between the two countries... I'd like to think that economic progress means more than an increase in GDP, but also an improvement in people's day-to-day lives. By studying economics at both Wellesley and McGill, I'm hoping to diversify my understanding of the best way to implement economic programs that are not just progressive, but also sustainable.”

Di Lucido will begin her studies at McGill in the spring during the university’s “winter term,” so when she’s not studying, the Flagstaff, Ariz., native hopes to improve her hockey knowledge and become an avid cross-country skier.