AHI Undergraduate Fellow Zachary Oscar

The Alexander Hamilton Institute for the Study of Western Civilization (AHI) congratulates Zachary Oscar on being awarded a summer internship with the American Council of Trustees and Alumni.  ACTA is “an independent, non-profit organization committed to academic freedom, excellence, and accountability at America’s colleges and universities.”  Each year, ACTA awards internships to both undergraduate and graduate students to conduct research on higher education and to undertake a wide range of administrative tasks.  According to ACTA’s website, interns will “participate in a special series of seminars with ACTA staff and board members.”  Interns also benefit from reading clusters centered on great books and directed by Michael B. Poliakoff, Vice President of Policy for ACTA, who possesses a Ph.D. in classical studies.

Oscar, a resident of Carmel, New York, is a sophomore at Hamilton College and will be majoring in history. “As an intern at ACTA,” he noted, “I will be primarily working on the ‘What Will They Learn?’ project.   It assesses the core curricula of colleges in order to ascertain whether their requirements adequately prepare their students for the competitive job market and the ‘real world.’   In my opinion, it is truly vital for students not only in college, but also looking at colleges while in High School, to be made aware of the advantages and disadvantages of curriculum requirements so that they can better become well-rounded individuals in multiple academic fields before declaring their major. I am very excited to be a part of an organization that believes the same thing.”

AHI Charter Fellow Robert Paquette serves as Oscar’s adviser.  “I am delighted to learn that Zach was chosen for this highly competitive internship.  He joins an illustrious group of former AHI undergraduate fellows—Max Brindle, Sarah Larson, and Sarah Scalet—in obtaining the award.  I have taught Zach in class and know that he has an ascending trajectory.  He has a voracious appetite for the classics and great books generally. He is currently participating in the AHI’s Plato reading cluster. He will be a terrific fit with Dr. Poliakoff and ACTA.”