Two Juniors Bestowed With Highest Academic Honor at Holy Cross

WORCESTER, Mass. – Emily Rast and Rebecca Krier, both members of the College of the Holy Cross class of 2009, have been chosen as Fenwick Scholars — the highest academic honor bestowed on a student at the College.

Students selected as Fenwick Scholars design a program of independent study and research, with the consultation of one or more faculty members, to be conducted during their fourth year at Holy Cross. At the end of the academic year, the Fenwick Scholar makes a public presentation to showcase the project.

The award is named in honor of the late Bishop Benedict J. Fenwick, S.J., the founder of Holy Cross.

Emily Rast:

Rast, who hails from Columbia, S.C., is a double major in theatre and economics and a member of the College Honors Program. She will be analyzing the definition of female identity set forth by ingénue characters (the young naïve girls) in American musical theatre.

“In order to do this, I'll write a full-length thesis looking at examples of the character throughout musical theatre history, and then I'll create and perform a one-woman show that explores the themes I uncover in my research,” explains Rast.

Her advisors for this project will be Lynn Kremer, professor of theatre and Steve Vineberg, Monsignor Murray Professor in Arts & Humanities.

“Researching this particular subject — female identity in musical theatre, and particularly in the ingénue characters — fills a gap in existing dramatic literature,” says Rast. “This makes this project all the more compelling, to analyze an overlooked area that stands to benefit from more attention.”

Rast has been in numerous performances while at Holy Cross and played the lead roles in Sweet Charity and Coraline. She is the chair of the Theatre Department Student Advisory Committee and served as vice-chair for Alternate College Theatre, a student-run organization, where students manage every aspect from directing and acting to lighting and set design.

She has been a campus tour guide and is a member of the Economics Department Student Advisory Committee.

Off campus she has taken part in two professional children's theatre shows at Foothills Theatre in downtown Worcester, playing the lead roles in Cinderella and The Little Mermaid. This will be her second summer with Redfeather Theatre Co, the professional summer Shakespeare company, which collaborates with Holy Cross. Last summer she was in Richard III and this summer, she will play a lead in A Midsummer Night's Dream.

After graduation, Rast plans to become a professional actor and hopefully run her own company one day. She also plans to attend graduate school to become a theatre professor.

Rebecca Krier:

Krier, from South Portland, Maine, is a religious studies major with a philosophy minor and a member of the College Honors Program. Her project titled “Edith Stein and the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola,” is based on the philosophy of Edith Stein, a German philosopher, and a saint and martyr in the Roman Catholic Church; and the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus.

In October, Krier will go on a 30-day retreat, where she will experience the Spiritual Exercises first hand with the Jesuits. The Spiritual Exercises examine one's conscience through prayer, meditation, and other activities, to form a deeper relationship with God.

“I will be using Stein's method of philosophy — phenomenology, the study of the operations of consciousness from first-person experience — to interpret the modes of attaining grace in the Exercises,” explains Krier. “Phenomenology is a method of philosophy popular among modern Catholic theologians (Pope John Paul II was a noted phenomenologist), but Stein's particular philosophy and use of phenomenology has been largely overlooked.”

Her goal is to bring philosophy and spirituality together in the Exercises, while looking through the lens of Stein. “The end point of my project is to have Stein's philosophy and the Exercises mutually enhance each other and offer creative insight into what it means to be in relationship with God,” says Krier. “The project is fundamentally a study of Being.”

Her advisor is Mathew Schmalz, associate professor of religious studies and director of the College’s Honors Program. “For me, Becky's project embodies the highest ideals of the Jesuit tradition in the liberal arts: a commitment to sophisticated academic inquiry that is grounded in the love of God,” says Schmalz.

Krier is going on her third year as a resident assistant. Last year she was the head resident assistant of Mulledy Hall, and next year she will be the head resident assistant for Hanselman Hall, where she will work closely with Montserrat, a new universal program at the College designed to better integrate the academic, co-curricular and residential experiences of first-year students.

She is a team leader for the Holy Cross chapter of Habitat for Humanity International, and will be going to Malawi, Africa to build houses this summer.

Krier is co-chair of the Religious Studies Department Student Advisory Committee and is a tutor at the Writer's Workshop.

She hopes to incorporate Christian ministry into her future career plans.