Michael Portal, a graduate of Lamar High School and a current Ph.D. candidate in Texas A&M University’s department of philosophy, received the prestigious Fulbright scholarship. The highly competitive award has a lengthy and rigorous selection process. Michael, son of Ellen Friedman and Marc Portal, was initially nominated by Texas A&M and was successful in additional rounds of evaluation before being named a Fulbright scholar. He will spend the 2022-23 academic year conducting interdisciplinary research at the Universiteit Antwerpen in Belgium as a research fellow in the Institute of Jewish Studies, the Centre for Research on Environmental and Social Change, and the Urban Studies Institute. Michael’s project explores the Flemish emphasis on samenleven (“living together”) and its significance for Antwerp’s Jewish communities. The research asks: “What is it that unites these distinct Jewish communities?” and extends scholarship on community formation and maintenance. Michael is grateful to his parents for their invaluable advice and support during the process.

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