Hrant Dink Human Rights Scholar Award
Named after Armenian-Turkish journalist and human rights activist Hrant Dink, the Hrant Dink Human Rights Scholar Award supports an undergraduate student to work with the Director of HRP to conduct research related to the commission of mass atrocity crimes. Research areas may include, but are not limited to, specific situations of mass atrocity past or present (Myanmar, Sudan, Gaza, Bosnia, Rwanda) and the transitional justice mechanisms created to respond to them (truth commissions, trials, justice archives) or other international accountability mechanisms and human rights monitoring bodies (International Criminal Court, United Nations Human Rights Council, UN treaty bodies and special procedures, Security Council). The Scholar will work with the Director of HRP to determine a research agenda and will receive research training and mentorship and a $1500 stipend disbursed over two semesters.
Hrant Dink was an Armenian-Turkish journalist known for advocating for Turkish-Armenian reconciliation and human and minority rights in Turkey who was assassinated in 2007. This award is named in his honor and is intended to promote research on human rights and on the consequences of people’s inhumanity to other peoples – inhumanity that derives from deep ethnic, national, racial, gender, and religious differences that divide people. The Human Rights Program is part of the Institute for Global Studies in the College of Liberal Arts.
Eligibility Requirements
- Enrolled in an undergraduate degree-seeking program at the U of M
- In good academic standing
- Enrolled for at least 6 credits for each semester of the award
- Achieved the equivalent of sophomore, junior, or senior standing
Structure
- Research: The Hrant Dink Human Rights Scholar Award provides funding for an undergraduate student to complete 100 hours of research under the mentorship of the Director of the Human Rights Program. Students work with the Director to develop a research agenda.
- Mentorship: The Hrant Dink Scholar will be mentored by the HRP Director, gaining valuable connections and research, policy, and advocacy skills.
- Publication/Presentation: At the conclusion of the award year, the Scholar will publicly present or publish their research. HRP provides many opportunities including the annual Human Rights Day celebration, CLA’s Undergraduate Research Symposium, and publishing materials on the HRP website, newsletter, or the Human Writes blog.
Ending Requirements
In order to receive your final stipend, the Hrant Dink Scholar must complete the agreed-upon research project, a final report, and an evaluation of the research experience. The final report consists of a 2- to 3-page typed narrative report on your project. Your narrative report should include the following sections: 1) a brief summary of your project and the results; 2) a discussion of how effectively you accomplished your results; 3) an evaluation of your learning experience and research skills developed.
Funding Details
The first disbursement of $750 will be made at the start of the award period. The second disbursement of $750 will be made at the end of the award period, once all ending requirements are met (see above).
Application Process
Applications for the 2026-2027 year will open in fall of 2026.
Past Hrant Dink Scholars
Aisha Hersi was a 2025-2026 Hrant Dink Scholar. A political science major, Hersi collaborated with HRP Director Carrie Walling on her research on archives as transnational justice mechanisms. Hersi studied truth commissions and tribunals, looking at whether–and how–information from these proceedings was archived. She completed a project focusing on how states interpret the United Nations Charter rules on the use of military force, especially when they conflict with other legal obligations to prevent mass atrocities and norms like the responsibility to protect.
Sanket Deshpande was a 2025-2026 Scholar. An economics and political science major in CLA, Deshpande conducted research with the newly launched Human Rights ColLaboratory. Deshpande translated complex human rights topics into digestible content, while maintaining the comprehensive details needed to fully capture these topics.
Mumtaaz Mahammud Hirsi was the 2024-2025 Scholar. A second-year psychology student with minors in African American studies and public health, Mumtaaz is driven by a passion for addressing global human rights challenges and developing a comprehensive understanding of how we can learn from genocides of the past.
Taylor Laube-Alvarez was the 2023-2024 Scholar. A Political Science and Global Studies major, Taylor’s academic interests include the intersection between human rights and foreign policy, particularly within the area of migration.