Scholar Spotlight
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Scholars in the Arts
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Mikal C. Brotnov
“For some people there is a very clear path. For others, it was always there with detours along the way. I am the latter of the two. It has only been through returning to college that I have found clarity.”
- Program: 2008 Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship Recipient
- Resides: New Kensington, PA
- Hometown: Kamiah, ID
- Age: 33
- Community College: Seattle Community College
- Four-year College or University: Clark University
- Graduate School: Clark University
- Academic/Career Pursuits: Education / Academia, Film, Nonprofits, Public Policy, Religion, Holocaust and Genocide Studies
- Other Interests: Architecture, Church / Religious Organization, Design, Film / Photography, Foreign Languages / International Study, Government, Health Care, Honor Society, Leadership Development, Nonprofits, Performing Arts / Theatre, Religion, Student Government, Tutoring / Mentoring, Visual Arts, Volunteer Work
Biography
PROFILE: Mikal Brotnov now sees coherence in the journey he has taken to reach his calling today, to become a professor of Holocaust and genocide studies. “Growing up in Idaho I had seen the pink triangle on bumper stickers, but discounted the symbol as another ‘campy’ item that degraded the gay struggle. I had no idea of the origin of the pink triangle, or that homosexuals had perished en masse. My ignorance systematically marginalized the memories of those lives lost during the Third Reich. It left me ignorant of a larger collective history.”
As a boy for whom the pain began early, from his parents’ custody battle to his acrimonious relationship with his provincially minded father, school became a safe haven for Mikal. No matter how much poverty moved him around, every new school became home. Finding his way back to school after many years, Mikal has wasted no time in getting involved both on and off campus—giving back to the place where he has found the greatest stability throughout his life.
INSPIRATION: Two professors that co-taught ‘Holocaust: Memory and Meaning’ changed his life. “These two women constructed a class that was both academically and emotionally challenging. We met over half a dozen survivors of the Holocaust. My response was visceral and immediate. I felt compelled to educate.”
ASPIRATION: Mikal plans to learn, research, write, and educate youth about the enforced silence of other victims of the Holocaust.
MAKING A DIFFERENCE: In addition to his many activities with Phi Theta Kappa, Mikal has successfully lobbied his chapter to study the issues surrounding Native American health that resulted in the most successful student-led symposium on his campus.
ACCOLADES: Mikal is a Pride Foundation Scholar. He is on the President’s List and the Dean’s List, and serves his Phi Theta Kappa chapter as webmaster. He credits his teachers with spurring him onto his 4.0 grade point average.
INTERESTING FACT: Mikal is always down for a game of Clue.
Other Scholars Like Mikal
Steven Schmidt
Graduate Scholar
University of Connecticut
Megan Wong
College Scholar
Princeton University
Christine McHone
Undergraduate Transfer Scholar
Columbia University
Fawn Leipold
Undergraduate Transfer Scholar
University of Baltimore