Every year, the dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences recognizes outstanding undergraduate scholarship through the Jonathan B. Rintels 1927 Prize and the Interdisciplinary Studies Thesis Prize.
Established in 1986 in honor of Jonathan B. Rintels, Class of 1927, the Rintels Prize celebrates original papers in the Arts and Humanities and the Social Sciences that best combine clarity of thought and expression. In 2024, the Office of the Dean of Faculty introduced a parallel award for International and Interdisciplinary Studies, honoring theses that reflect the same intellectual rigor and clarity.
"This year's winners exemplify the depth, creativity, and independence of thought that these prizes were designed to honor," says Interim Dean of Faculty John Carey. "Their work spans economics and political behavior, the philosophy of mathematics, and community histories of migration—each offering insights that resonate far beyond their disciplines."
Interdisciplinary Studies Thesis Prize
Melissa Reyes '25: From Puebla to el Barrio: Migration, Identity, and the Making of a Mexican Enclave in Passaic, New Jersey
Faculty Advisor: Matthew Garcia, Department of Latin American, Latino and Caribbean Studies
Melissa Reyes' thesis offers a nuanced history of Mexican migration and identity formation in Passaic, New Jersey, with a focus on Poblanos—immigrants from Puebla, Mexico. She conducted more than a dozen oral history interviews, with requests from community members to continue collecting and sharing their stories. Using the oral histories alongside archival research, municipal records, and local media, Reyes reconstructs a community history often absent from official archives.
Matthew Delmont, associate dean of international and interdisciplinary studies, praised Reyes' ability to "navigate between local and national frames of analysis," noting her engagement with scholars of "underdocumented" communities. For the social impact of her research and her community engagement, she was also honored by the Puebla government with a Premio Carmen Serdán "Mujeres que Transforman" / Carmen Serdán "Women Who Transform" Award.
In Reyes' words:
"I realized that the migrations that shaped my family and my community weren't reflected in the histories I was reading and learning about. The seed for this project actually started in my Mellon Mays application back in my sophomore year, and becoming a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow pushed me to be brave enough to write the histories I grew up hearing in Passaic. I wanted to make visible the stories, movements, and memories that I knew mattered."
On challenges:
"I found it difficult at first to find sources about Mexicans and Poblano communities in the archives I initially consulted. Over time, I stopped seeing the archive as a fixed place and started seeing it as something else that communities can build themselves. This thesis changed the way I understand the history I come from and the responsibility I carry in telling it. Carrying those stories changed me and made me take the work even more seriously."
On rewards:
"The most rewarding part was talking to people. So many community members wanted to share their migration journeys and experiences growing up here in Passaic. I've received so many requests from people who want to hear more, learn more, and see their stories reflected in this work. In a moment of heightened anti-immigration rhetoric, it feels powerful to witness how unafraid people are to preserve their histories."
Continue reading this story via the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.