The Middle East Institute is deeply saddened by the untimely death of former intern Alice Rowan Swanson. She was killed in a traffic accident while riding her bike to work on the morning of July 8th, 2008.

Alice was an intern at MEI in the Fall of 2007 during her senior year at Amherst College.

MEI President Wendy Chamberlin described Alice as a "dedicated, intelligent student who brought great enthusiasm and a true spirit of friendship to her internship at MEI. She will be greatly missed. Her smile lit up the room . . . "

Alice worked in the publications department for The Middle East Journal's Managing Editor Adam Mendelson: "Alice's intelligence and passion for learning was rivaled only by her great warmth and friendliness; I can't ever recall her without a smile on her face. Her work at MEI and IREX helped to build bridges and understanding between often disparate cultures, a task for which her welcoming personality and sharp intellect made her uniquely and excellently equipped. Her loss will be felt deeply among her friends at MEI and, I'm sure, among all those who knew her."

MEI Internship Coordinator Naomi Stone: "What I will most miss about Alice is the graceful loveliness of her presence. Her warmth, her crisp, eloquent prose, her belief that she could better the lives of others. When I interviewed Alice and subsequently offered her the position immediately on the phone, she was collecting oral histories in Nicaragua. She was helping to reshape curricula in local schools. Her loss will be felt acutely by so many; her contributions already have brought such meaning. Alice's intellectual rigor and fine writing can be found in the chronology section and recent publications section of The Middle East Journal, Vol 62, No. 1."

During the fall semester of 2005, Alice studied Arabic and Middle East History at the American University in Cairo. Also fluent in Spanish, she attended the School for International Training's program "Nicaragua: Revolution, Transformation, and Civil Society" in the Spring of 2006 in Masaya, Nicaragua. She planned and executed a month-long independent study project collecting oral histories to record of the role of an indigenous neighborhood in the revolution.

Alice, aged 22, continued to study Arabic at MEI after she joined the staff of the International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX).

A fund has been established to support human rights throughout the world, a cause to which Alice was deeply committed. Memorial contributions may be made to The Trustees of Northborough Unitarian Church, PO Box 143, Northborough, MA 01532 for the Alice Rowan Swanson Fund.

Friends of Alice Swanson decorate a "Ghost Bike" in her memory. July 9, 2008.

Additional links:
Alice was recently featured in MEI's "Intern Spotlight."