Ashland resident, Hamilton College senior Josef Komissar awarded college's $30K Bristol Fellowship

Komissar is a computer science and mathematics double major

Clinton, NY (05/09/2022) — Ashland resident and Hamilton College senior Josef Komissar is one of two students awarded Hamilton's Bristol Fellowship this year. Each Bristol Fellow receives a $30,000 research grant to spend a year after graduation studying an issue of personal interest. Komissar is a computer science and mathematics double major at Hamilton, and his research topic is "The Language of Juggling: Cultural Exchange Through Performance."

Komissar's project will take him to Australia, Germany, and Mexico where he plans to examine how different landscapes and cultures have impacted the development of juggling and juggling communities around the world. By visiting schools, attending festivals, and watching circuses, he hopes to understand how culture is communicated through the art of juggling.

"I am especially interested in youth circuses and their ability to engage and uplift children from all walks of life," he noted. "One of the most exciting prospects is the opportunity to meet so many new people from completely different backgrounds than myself. Juggling will provide me a basis for meeting new people, even if it means just standing around in a public park and juggling for passersby."

The Bristol Fellowship is funded by the family of William M. Bristol, Jr., Class of 1917, who served as a Hamilton trustee, president of the Alumni Association, fundraiser, and benefactor. He was one of seven generations of Bristol family members to attend Hamilton, dating back to the chartering of the College in 1812. Mr. Bristol's great, great-grandfather became one of the College's first trustees after helping to found the Hamilton-Oneida Academy, which later became Hamilton College in 1793.

Josef Komissar is a graduate of Ashland Public High School

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