Current Duffy Fellows
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Benjamin Bertrand
Benjamin Bertrand is a Ph.D candidate in the History department working with Dr. Scott G. Bruce. His research focuses on how medieval bishops navigated their place in society and their competing spiritual authority and worldly power as critical but (often overlooked) figures by studying the career of Bishop Henry of Blois (d. 1171). Additionally, he is passionate about public history and is interested in providing publicly available resources about the Middle Ages to combat misconceptions and misinformation. His Duffy Fellows project aims to create a podcast dedicated to examining the history of the medieval Church and considering its impact upon the modern world, which will release in the spring of 2026.
Olivia Griffin
Olivia Griffin graduated from Fordham Honors College at Rose Hill in May 2025 with a degree in Urban Studies and English. A citizen of the Cherokee Nation from Oklahoma, she connected her passion for Indigenous activism and her experience with Bronx-based sustainability nonprofits to write a novel. Concerned with the future of the Bronx River, Griffin weaves together threads between urban development, colonialism, and spirituality in this project, with a twist of Lenape mythology.
Laura Oldfather
Laura Oldfather graduated from Fordham College Lincoln Center in May 2025, with a major in theology and a minor in journalism. She currently works at Fordham Campus Ministry in addition to being a Duffy Fellow. Laura is particularly interested in Ignatian Spirituality and meditation on the person of Christ. For this project, she is exploring images of Jesus through the medium of painting. She is working to engage contextual debates over the significance of these images while rendering paintings of contested archetypes of Jesus in the real world. The culmination of this research will be a gallery showing of approximately 10 paintings, accompanied by brief written descriptions and questions for the viewers.
