Camellia Pham, a University of Iowa student graduating in May 2022 with a BA in comparative literature Asian languages and literature (Chinese) and a 2021 recipient of a Stanley Undergraduate Award for International Research to conduct research in China, took an unconventional, yet effective, path to completing her research project. Though COVID-19 impacted her plans to travel to China, she persevered and used resources both here at the university and connections abroad to conduct her research and utilize her findings when applying to PhD and master’s programs across the country.
“In the comparative literature program at Iowa, I was required to choose a track for what courses I’d take,” said Pham. “I chose to focus in on Chinese literature and took courses on Chinese culture, literature, and film studies.”
While in high school in Vietnam, Pham first met Dr. Le Thuy Turomg Vi, faculty of English linguistics and literature at Vietnam National University, who taught Pham in high school and was conducting similar research at the time surrounding comparative literature. That inspired Pham in her future career and when awarded the Stanley award, Pham turned to her former professor for assistance in her own research.
“For my research project, I chose to do an exploration on modern literature by modern writers in Vietnam and China,” shared Pham. “The two groups I investigated through my research are the self-reliant literary group and the new culture movement. To do so, though, I needed access to certain archives of Yu Dafu, one of the first modern romanticist writers in China. Most of their materials haven’t been translated to English, or it’s not yet digitalized, so the Stanley award made it possible for me to have the opportunity to travel abroad to conduct my research with original materials in China.”
While I wasn’t able to utilize the funding I received to travel abroad, it still provided a tremendous impact on my research. It helped me boost my confidence and realize how much I actually do like research, and I want to continue doing it in the future in graduate school.
With travel plans altered due to COVID-19, Pham turned to her former professor in Vietnam to assist in accessing books, archives, magazines, and newspapers locally in Vietnam even though she was unable to travel. Additionally, Pham connected with Dr. Min Tian, Chinese studies librarian with the University of Iowa Libraries, who taught Pham how to utilize Iowa library services to access larger collections of books and materials related to East Asian studies.
“While I wasn’t able to utilize the funding I received to travel abroad, it still provided a tremendous impact on my research,” said Pham. “It provided me the ability to gain access to archives that I’d usually have to purchase with my own money. Not only that, though, it helped me boost my confidence and realize how much I actually do like research, and I want to continue doing it in the future in graduate school.”
The award supported Pham in conducting her research and aided her in her application for PhD and master’s programs.
“All of the courses I took in Chinese and comparative literature, paired with my research on modern literature in Vietnam and China, allowed me to craft a research writing sample I submitted alongside my PhD and master’s program applications,” said Pham.
After receiving offers to attend PhD programs at Penn State University, UC Davis California, Rutgers University, and a few offers for master’s programs, Pham eventually chose to pursue a master’s degree in comparative literature at Dartmouth College.
“I chose Dartmouth so I could take a few years to continue developing my research and gain additional skills prior to a PhD program,” explained Pham. “I want to continue conducting research in the future and having received the Stanley award helped me gain research skills that enabled me to be successful in my grad school applications.”
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