Yousef Abu-Salah and Louisa “Loulou” Byars, both members of Vanderbilt’s Class of 2022, have been named Michael B. Keegan Traveling Fellows for 2022–23. The Keegan Fellowship aims to enhance the development of future leaders through world travel and experiential learning.
The fellowship provides graduating Vanderbilt seniors with the opportunity to pursue an idea or issue they are passionate about in the context of daily life in communities around the world. The $25,000 award funds one year of travel.
Abu-Salah, who is from Flowood, Mississippi, is double majoring in computer science and cognitive studies with a creative writing minor. Inspired by his own experience as a refugee from Gaza, he will use the fellowship to explore hope in migrant camps around the world.
“I am and will always be a migrant, and no matter how far I stray from the experiences of my childhood, I will always have that foundation,” Abu-Salah said. “Through this fellowship and beyond, I seek to provide a voice to the countless voiceless heroes who are currently traversing the world, desperately trying to find a new home. Their existence is the light in this world, and I just hope to illuminate the already-bright souls of these amazing people.”
Emily Ritter, associate professor of political science, will be advising Abu-Salah’s Keegan Fellowship and publishing his upcoming interview-based biographies in a graphic novel. This will be the second graphic novel he has published. He also started a nonprofit, Complecto, which has provided coding training and computer science boot camps to hundreds of low-income students in Mississippi.
Byars, a human and organizational development major with minors in history and Italian studies, is from Charleston, South Carolina. Her brief encounter with an artisan in Chiapas, Mexico, who gifted her a huipil—a hand-embroidered blouse that often reflects community identity, as well as the maker’s personal expression—served as the jumping-off point for her Keegan Fellowship proposal. Byars plans to use her fellowship to observe the impact of garments on communities and gain a greater appreciation for the people who make the clothes that are sold in the U.S.
“I hope that being able to travel to places where garment making carries different cultural, economic, historical and environmental significance will enrich my worldview as I approach a career in responsible fashion,” said Byars, who completed her HOD Capstone at a recycled home goods startup and also founded the upcycled custom womenswear brand ReTee.
Also participating this upcoming academic year are past Keegan Fellows who were prevented from traveling abroad due to COVID-19 restrictions: Barton Christmas, BA’21, Frances Burton, BA’20, and Matt Zhang, BA’20.
Christmas will investigate street artists and how they create their art; Burton will explore national parks across the world; and Zhang is planning a global survey of marriage.
“After two years of international travel restrictions, I couldn’t be more thrilled to have Loulou and Yousef as this year’s fellows,” said Michael B. Keegan, BA’80, the namesake of the fellowship program since 2004. “They are both extraordinary leaders, and I’m excited that they’ll be joined by the three fellows from the last two years—a total of five traveling fellows traversing the world simultaneously.”
Students and alumni interested in applying for the Michael B. Keegan Fellowship or other competitive awards should contact Elizabeth Harrington Lambert, associate director of fellowships and scholarships.