Alison Fortenberry 

Photo courtesy of Alison Fortenberry

Princeton Class of 2026 member Alison Fortenberry has been awarded a Beinecke Scholarship, which supports undergraduate students to pursue graduate studies in the arts, humanities and social sciences. 

Fortenberry, from Philadelphia, is majoring in African American studies with minors in religion and English as well as a certificate in American studies. Her primary research interests are 20th century African American and American religious history. Her junior independent research focused on demographic changes within a Philadelphia church by mapping congregational migrations. After graduating from Princeton, she plans to pursue a Ph.D. studying American cultural history, race and religion. 

On campus, she serves as a peer academic adviser for Butler College, a mentor for the Princeton University Mentoring Program and an associate essay editor for “Mélange: A Journal of Prose Poetry and the Arts.” Fortenberry was also a recipient of the Shapiro Prize for Academic Excellence. 

Fortenberry is one of 20 U.S. undergraduates who were awarded Beinecke Scholarships this year. The awards were established in 1971 by the board of directors of The Sperry and Hutchinson Company.