An L&S senior has been selected as the one student in the entire world to hold UN Watch’s prestigious Morris B. Abram Fellowship.
Hilary Miller, an honors student who will graduate this May with degrees in history and political science and a certificate in Jewish Studies, will begin the yearlong fellowship in September in Geneva, Switzerland. In the role, she will draft reports, press releases, speeches and op-eds, report on meetings at the United Nations, conduct research and manage social media for the nonprofit that monitors the UN and promotes human rights.
“The mission of the organization could not be more up my alley,” says Miller. “I’m passionate about advocacy, and that anti-Semitism doesn’t go unchecked.”
The Milwaukee-born Miller came to UW-Madison, following in the footsteps of her parents and older sister, with an interest in political science and international affairs, particularly issues related to Israel. Those inclinations led her to take such courses as history of terrorism, politics of genocide and history of anti-Semitism, and immerse herself in activities outside the classroom.
She’s been a campus fellow for the Jewish National Fund, a student researcher for the Welton Scholars Fellowship Program, a peer advisor at the Mosse/Weinstein Center for Jewish Studies and a member of the UW-Madison Undergraduate History Council. And in the spring of her freshman year, she created the Student Alliance for Israel, an education-based advocacy group with programs centered on current events and cultural affairs.
As Miller’s interest in writing grew, she not only served as editor of Sifting & Winnowing and ARCHIVE, the undergraduate journals for political science and history, respectively, but also formed the Wisconsin Undergraduate Journal Association to bring campus publications together and spearheaded the formation of Avukah, an undergraduate journal for the Center for Jewish Studies.
“Avukah is Hebrew for ‘torch,’” she says. “It highlights students, scholarship and elements of Jewish history that otherwise wouldn’t be brought to life.”
Internships played an important role in Miller’s college experience as well. In the summer of 2017, she served as a political affairs intern for the Consulate of Israel to the Midwest in Chicago, and last summer she was a Goldman Fellow for the American Jewish Committee, also in Chicago. And since last August, she’s worked as a communications and development intern for the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law in Madison.
“That work has informed me of the rise of anti-Semitism around the world and on campus — its renewed frequency and renewed intensity,” she says.
While Miller has received many accolades during her time at UW — including the William F. Allen Prize for Excellent Historical Writing, the William F. Vilas Scholarship for Superior Academic Merit, the Campus Courage Award from the American Jewish Committee–Chicago and the Louise Troxell Award for undergraduate women who embody a commitment to community service and leadership — she’s most proud of developing a voice for advocacy.
In October, she crafted an op-ed in the Daily Cardinal in response to a display on Library Mall that she felt had an anti-Israel message. The experience of writing the piece, which drew responses from readers across the globe, was a turning point for Miller.
“It was a huge moment in realizing my maturation at UW in knowing what my positions are,” she says. “In being conversant and open but strong in what I believe.”
The email announcing she had received the UW Watch fellowship was another indication that she was on the right path.
“College has been hard in a lot of good ways,” she says. “Where did four years go? All the clubs, classes, professors, conversations and conferences culminated in this one email. This position is immense validation and the next step.”
Miller is already consulting with a SuccessWorks advisor on how to best leverage her fellowship experience. She’s considering law school, but keeping her options open for now.
First comes what’s likely to be a life-changing experience working on issues that Miller has only grown more passionate about at UW.
“I’m most looking forward to being immersed in the context of Geneva,” she says, “where people are working toward a better global order every day.”