Congratulations to Haley!

Even though this story doesn't have a lot to do with community theatre, I wanted to congratulate Haley Maynard for her achievement.

Haley starred in quite a few local theatre productions (including a few I directed), and she's now enjoying great success in her studies at college. We're proud of her achievements!

Here's the story:

West Virginia Wesleyan senior Haley Maynard of Huntington has been selected to participate in the Advanced Holocaust Seminar. The program is sponsored by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum's Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies in Washington, D.C.

The seminar, which is scheduled for Aug. 2-10, is designed for undergraduate, M.A. and Ph.D. students. The objective of the seminar is to acquaint participants with the breadth of the rich and diverse collection of recently opened archival holdings of the Introduction to the International Tracing Service at the museum.

Staff scholars will highlight case studies in five key areas, including the Nazi concentration camp system, non-Jewish victim groups, forced labor in the German war economy, displaced persons and war criminals.

"I feel so fortunate and tremendously thankful for this opportunity," said Maynard, a history major and English literature and Honors minor at Wesleyan. "I am anxious to spend two weeks with 15 other students like myself who enjoy studying about the Holocaust.

"This subject is one of those historical topics that we can never know enough about. I am grateful to realize that my interest in the Holocaust is unceasing. While I attempt to not only reconcile the diverse schools of thought regarding the subject, I am also learning to respect and understand the challenges of practicing history," she added.

Maynard, the 2009-2010 Wesleyan Outstanding Junior History Major, learned of the seminar opportunity from Richard Weeks, professor of history and a Holocaust scholar.

She serves as president of Alpha Delta Pi sorority and as a writing center peer consultant. After graduating from Wesleyan, she plans to pursue a master's of science in library and information technology.

Participants receive a stipend toward the cost of direct travel to and from each participant's home institution, lodging for the duration of the workshop and $500 toward the cost of incidental expenses and meals. The program is made possible by a gift in memory of Kurt and Thea Sonnenmark.