Wheaton Wire

Issue date: 4/30/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Courtesy of Caroline Teague ’08 St. Andew's Society scholarship winner and current senior Teague

The St. Andrew's Society of New York announced this month that Caroline Teague '08 received its annual scholarship. She will use the award to fund her graduate studies at the University of Edinburgh in Edinburgh, Scotland, where she will study and compare the social lives of Scottish and American businessmen in China during the Opium Wars of the 1800s.

Teague will be enrolled in the University of Edinburgh's School of Humanities and Social Sciences to receive her MSc by research. An MSc focuses on independent research culminating in a final thesis, said Teague.

Teague became interested in the subject when she worked as a summer intern in the Heard Museum in Ipswich, MA.

While there, she worked transcribing the diaries and letters of Augustine Heard, an Ipswich native who owned a trading firm in China.

Teague learned about Heard's British counterparts through her research at the Heard Museum.

"I became interested in how the social lives of the Scottish and British men living in Canton differed from those of the Americans," Teague said. "Jardine and Matheson [Company] was far better established, as was the British practice of international commerce, than Heard and Company."

She went on to credit Professor of History Candace Quinn for encouraging her to apply to the University of Edinburgh. On Quinn's recommendation, Teague said that she decided to study abroad at the University of Edinburgh last year as a Junior because of its "excellent history program and the fascinating local and national history."

"Almost immediately upon my return to the States, I wanted to return to Edinburgh. At first I thought it was just post-study abroad blues, but it became apparent that it was more than that," Teague said.

Her advisor, Professor of History Dolita Cathcart, described Teague as "a brilliant, mature, and interested student."

Teague credited the "effort of countless people put together" in helping her including Cathcart, who read over her thesis proposal.

Teague also credited History Professor Alexander Bloom and Associate Dean for Academic Advising Alex Trayford, who wrote last minute letters of recommendation after an application mix-up.

She also thanked the entire Filene Center staff for their warmth and encouragement.

According to the society's website, applicants should be of Scottish descent, demonstrate an interest in Scottish culture, and plan to study at a Scottish University or at Oxford or Cambridge University.

"I was incredibly surprised and delighted that I had been awarded both scholarships, for a total of $30,000 which covers almost all of my expenses,"?Teague told the Wire. "It's still sinking in that I actually have the opportunity to study for a year in Edinburgh."

Every year, the St. Andrews Society of New York gives out two awards to qualified students. This year, Teague was one of six finalists who met in New York to be interviewed by society members.

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