One of CMENA’s missions is to create and support opportunities for students to learn about, travel within, and research North Africa and the Middle East.
Student Opportunities
Student’s Choice Lecture Award
Application Deadline: December 15th, 2025
The Student’s Choice Lecture Award allows for undergraduate students (either as individuals or a group) to nominate California-based scholars working on the MENA region. If selected, the scholar will be invited to give at talk at UCSC in the spring of 2026. CMENA will cover transportation, lodging, and the honorarium for their visit.
Students can apply here.
Last year’s lecture was given by Dr. Keith Watenpaugh (UC Davis).
Undergraduate Research Paper Award
Application Deadline: May 1st, 2026
Amount: $300
The Center for the Middle East and North Africa (CMENA) welcomes applications from graduate students from any division at UC Santa Cruz to support the study of Arabic during the Summer of 2026 in the amount of $300. Three awards are available.
Applicants will be selected based on the demonstrated benefits that language study will offer to their proposed research. CMENA strongly recommends that the grant be used to enroll at the Bourguiba language school in Tunis (where CMENA can help facilitate lodging). Graduate students at all stages (MA, PhD) are welcome to apply. Before receiving the funds, awardees will be required to demonstrate enrollment at a recognized center for language study. Moreover, they will be asked to provide proof of completion on their return.
The application for 2026 is not yet open.
The 2025 recipients were: Zaid Ball (Politics), Vairagya Evelyn Eiger (History of Art and Visual Culture), Natalie Korobkova (History/Anthropology), Sheima Amir-Araghi (honorable mention, Literature), Andrew Ross (honorable mention, History/Global and Community Health).
Arabic Language Study Graduate Fellowship
Application Deadline: May 1st, 2026
Amount: $3,000
The Center for the Middle East and North Africa (CMENA) welcomes applications from graduate students from any division at UC Santa Cruz to support the study of Arabic during the Summer of 2026 in the amount of $3,000. Three awards are available.
Applicants will be selected based on the demonstrated benefits that language study will offer to their proposed research. CMENA strongly recommends that the grant be used to enroll at the Bourguiba language school in Tunis (where CMENA can help facilitate lodging). Graduate students at all stages (MA, PhD) are welcome to apply. Before receiving the funds, awardees will be required to demonstrate enrollment at a recognized center for language study. Moreover, they will be asked to provide proof of completion on their return.
The application for 2026 is not yet open.
The 2025 recipients were: Kristine Swarts-Zanin (History), Jacob Sirhan (Film and Digital Media) and Hussayn Abdul-Qawi (Politics).