Junior Max Martus of Flint, Mich. was recently awarded the Dr. Charles A. and Marjorie A. Gliozzo Scholarship for Muslim Studies. Martus, who is majoring in Global History and minoring in Asian studies, European Studies, and French language, was nominated by MSU Professor of History Dr. Emine Evered.
“I’ve always had a passion for Muslim studies, but more specifically, the history of the modern Middle East,” Martus said. “It’s something that has always been very close to my heart, and I’ve always been very interested and passionate about it, and it was nice to be recognized for having worked in this area.”
The Muslim Studies Program in International Studies and Programs provides two scholarships of $700 each year to undergraduates whose principal interest is in studying some facet of the Muslim world. The recipient must also have a minimum 3.3 cumulative GPA at the time of the award of the scholarship.
All nominees and applicants must submit a 300-word statement describing the nominee’s/applicant’s interest in the study of the Muslim world, resume, grade transcript, and a letter of support from at least one faculty member.
Dr. Evered said that she is inspired by Martus’ passion for Muslim studies and immediately thought to nominate him for the award after having him in her classes: HST 372: Islam and Empire and HST 373: The Modern Middle East.
“I was intrigued by his capacity and interest in the material,” Evered said. “I had Max in class last semester, and he has such devotion to his studies. He does not take classes to simply pass them, but he has a desire to excel, and I could not see any better candidate for this award.”
Martus said he has always been interested in studying history, even from an early age.
“I always found myself reading history ever since I was really quite young,” Martus. “I have always known that I wanted to work with history in some capacity. I have thought about other career paths, but I really can’t see myself doing anything else.”
Martus said he aspires to become a professor of history and the professors at MSU have motivated him to go after his goals.
“The history professors here at MSU are so passionate about their jobs and you can tell they love what they do,” he said.
Martus said he plans to use the funds from the award to study Arabic language.
“One of my great goals is to learn Arabic, whether that is Modern Standard Arabic, or a dialect more closely aligned with the region that I want to focus on,” Martus said. “So, I would say that is a major thing I want to accomplish, and this kind of encouragement is an incentive to finally start to learn Arabic.”
