Hailey Burgess, a doctoral candidate in French studies recently attended the graduate student conference “Crossing Borders, Breaking Walls” at Indiana University. At the conference she presented a paper from the second chapter of her dissertation which focuses on animals in Gustave Flaubert’s Salammbô. Hailey’s dissertation focuses on 19th century French and Francophone-Postcolonial literatures, using the theoretical framework of Animal Studies to situate her close-readings and analysis. Attending the conference enabled her to establish herself as an “emerging scholar and active participant” in her field. She was also able to make connections with others in her field of 19th century literature and receive feedback from experienced academics. The experience she says was “invaluable on a personal and professional level” and will provide networks for later collaboration and support. Hailey was able to attend the conference in part due to the Nesholm Family Endowed Scholarship.