CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Thirteen University of Illinois students and recent alumni have been offered fully funded opportunities to research, study or teach English in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East through the U.S. Student Fulbright program. Another three Illinois students have been named alternates for this prestigious award. The U. of I. has consistently been among the top producers of Fulbright recipients in the U.S.
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, the program awards 1,900 academic grants annually to U.S. citizens for use in more than 140 nations. The combined $325 million annual investment by the U.S. and foreign governments generally provides full funding for round-trip travel, room and board, health insurance, and full or partial tuition.
Candidates from every discipline design and outline their individual overseas projects as part of their application. In addition, prearranged Fulbright English teaching assistantships are available to more than 65 countries. Alongside their research and teaching work, students are expected to interact with their host communities through volunteering and other nonacademic interests, contributing to the program's goal of cultural exchange and mutual understanding.
"This year's slate of University of Illinois scholars really embodies the mission of the Fulbright in both their diversity of disciplines and commitment to connect with their host countries," said David Schug, the director of the National and International Scholarships Program at Illinois. "Each of these outstanding individuals is the kind of personable, engaged young scholar who will make an impact in his or her country of study."
The recipients:
Donald Bauer, of Lake Villa, Illinois, recently earned a bachelor's degree in marketing and information systems and in information technology. He has been selected to teach English in South Korea. Bauer was a member of the James Scholar Honors Program and College of Business Honors Program, and held a Hugh W. Frey Academic Scholarship. He also served as the president of the Star Course student music group. While in Korea, he plans to create an afterschool music program. Upon completion of his assistantship, Bauer aspires to a career that infuses technology, music and marketing.
Liliana (Goldman) Carrizo, of Los Alamos, New Mexico, is a doctoral candidate in ethnomusicology and will conduct research in Israel for the upcoming 2014-2015 academic year. She has previously held, among other awards, a 2013-2014 fellowship through The American Academic Research Institute in Iraq, the University of Illinois Distinguished Fellowship, and multiple U. of I. Foreign Language and Area Studies awards for Arabic language study. Carrizo is a flutist and pianist, and has worked as a dance accompanist. On campus, Carrizo was an active member of the Balkanalia musical ensemble. She will spend her Fulbright year studying the improvised songs of Iraqi-Jewish women as an expression of social commentary. She is affiliated with the Jewish Music Research Centre at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and will be participating in musical collaborations with Israeli performing artists. Upon return and completion of her Ph.D., Carrizo will embark on an academic career with a continued focus on Israeli and Iraqi music.
Kendra Chapman, of Louisville, Kentucky, has earned a master of fine arts degree in creative writing in 2013, has been selected to teach English in Brazil. She has significant teaching experience at the secondary and postsecondary levels, including teaching English to international adult learners. In addition to being recognized multiple times at Illinois as a "teacher ranked as excellent by their students," Chapman has won various writing awards and served as editor for creative writing publications. She plans to connect with Brazilians through a poetry group or book club and hopes that immersion in a new culture will influence her own poetry. After her assistantship, she plans to teach creative writing at the university level and continue to write and publish poetry.
Sally Feng, of Chicago, recently earned her bachelor's degree in integrative biology and will travel to the Philippines to conduct research for the 2014-2015 academic year. Her project is based in a reef restoration program at the Bolinao Marine Laboratory at the University of Philippines. She will document the growth of a destructive gastropod, as well as develop a formal procedure for its removal. She also plans to engage in environmental education at local schools in Bolinao. While on campus, she worked as an undergraduate research assistant, served as the president of the Student Board Leadership Program, volunteered as a facilitator trainer for Alternative Spring Break and received a Fred S. Bailey Leadership Scholarship. After her Fulbright year, Feng will attend graduate school for conservation management and hopes to found a nonprofit organization for marine restoration.
Recent alumna Karin Lee, of Dixon, Illinois, who majored in music education and minored in German, has been selected to teach English in Germany. A member of the James Scholar Honors Program and the Delta Phi Alpha German scholar fraternity, Lee looks forward to using her extensive musical training in order to create a dynamic and encouraging environment for her students. At Illinois, she devoted herself to community service, including participation in International Friendship Link and informal language partnering with international students. She was also a member of numerous musical groups on campus, including the Marching Illini and U. of I. Concert Band. Lee plans to become a teacher of both music and German, and hopes that the insights she will glean from the German education system will help her to become a better teacher when she returns to the U.S.
Rebecca Nathanson, of St. Louis, earned a master's degree in urban and regional planning in 2013. She has been awarded a Fulbright to teach English in Bosnia and Herzegovina for the 2014-2015 year. Her previous work on Bosnian economic mobility was inspired by her long-standing interest in cross-cultural communication and education, and she will continue to cultivate these interests as an English teaching assistant. She will also draw upon her undergraduate teaching experience as she mentors Bosnian students. Outside of the classroom, Nathanson hopes to help create a youth interfaith dialogue group that will join students from different ethnic communities in collaborative service projects. Upon return to the U.S., Nathanson plans to continue her commitment to cross-cultural communication, education and inclusiveness in her career as an urban planner.
Erin O'Sullivan, of Buffalo Grove, Illinois, earned a master's of fine arts degree in creative writing-prose in 2010 at Oregon State University, and a bachelor's degree in history and psychology at Illinois in 2008. She has won a Fulbright to pursue a one-year master's in history at University College Dublin. Her studies will culminate in a thesis examining lesser-known female writers and the broader role of women in Irish history. While at Illinois, O'Sullivan participated in the James Scholar Honors program, was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and received the Mother's Club Book Award. She has since gained extensive experience as a writing instructor at the collegiate level and spent a year in Spain teaching English on a grant from the Spanish government. O'Sullivan's Fulbright year in Ireland will afford her the opportunity to pursue her research with prominent Irish historians and also to connect with her Irish heritage and familial history. She plans to engage with her host society by volunteering at the Irish Writers' Centre and facilitating a writing program for secondary school students. Upon completion of her program at University College Dublin, O'Sullivan will pursue a doctorate in history and continue her exploration of identity through her creative writing.
David Perez, of Hoffman Estates, Illinois, recently earned his bachelor's degree in marketing with a certificate in international business and will spend his Fulbright year working with a Mexican firm that focuses on increasing technology startups and entrepreneurship throughout Mexico. He also plans to work with first-generation college students on their applications to American universities. Perez has extensive international experience, including as a Jorge Lemann Fellow for Economic Research in Brazil and as a Cambridge international intern teaching English in China. Additionally, he interned in the Presidential Office of Scheduling & Advance in the White House, as well as at Google and Microsoft as a product manager. After his Fulbright year, Perez will pursue a master's in business administration at Harvard Business School, with the goal of bridging his interests in emerging markets, technology and international policy.
Monique Richards, of Chicago, recently earned a bachelor's degree with highest distinction in molecular and cellular biology and chemistry. She has been awarded a Fulbright to pursue biology research in Germany. She will work with faculty members at the University of Munich to develop safer and more efficient smallpox vaccines. While on campus, Richards was a member of the James Scholar Honors Program and the Liberal Arts and Sciences Academic Achievement Program. Beyond Illinois, she has participated in research projects at Hope College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Nebraska. Upon returning to the U.S., she plans to pursue a graduate degree in the biomedical sciences at Yale before embarking on a research career.
Nora Sadik, of Fox River Grove, Illinois, earned a bachelor's degree in environmental engineering and international engineering in 2013. She will spend her Fulbright year in Uganda, analyzing and refining water and sanitation methods to improve community health outcomes. A member of the James Scholar Honors Program, Sadik has previously won several scholarships. Her previous engagement with Uganda has included fieldwork with the U. of I.'s Safe Global Water Institute. Beyond her research objectives, Sadik looks forward to further contributing to community well-being by organizing community yoga sessions, an initiative she took up while an Illinois student. Upon completing her Fulbright, she will pursue a master's in environmental engineering at Illinois with a focus on microbial water contamination before seeking work with an international organization addressing water and sanitation challenges in rural communities.
Colby Silvert, of Yellow Springs, Ohio, recently earned his bachelor's degree in horticulture and specialty crops and has received a Fulbright grant to conduct research in Brazil. His project seeks to understand why family coffee farmers are not accessing Fair Trade, Rain Forest Alliance or organic certifications for their coffee. He hopes that the findings of his research will encourage economic and sustainable advancement for family coffee farmers. Silvert has traveled extensively in Latin America, most recently completing a three-month internship in Brazil, in which he experimented with alternative fertilizers to grow coffee. While on campus, he served as a Crop Sciences Ambassador and as vice president of the U. of I. Horticulture Club. Silvert likely will pursue a doctorate in horticultural food production and hopes to devote his career to developing sustainable agricultural practices and policies that support small and family farmers.
Stephanie Timm, of Carmel, California, is a doctoral student in regional planning and has been awarded a Fulbright grant to conduct research in Singapore. Her project will study the impact of Singaporean culture on the country's goal of sustainable water independence. She plans to share transferable insights from Singapore's water planning experience with planners around the world through research publications as well as her blog. Timm has worked in various aspects of urban and environmental planning, including several years with a multinational firm in New Zealand, and will combine her considerable professional and international experience with her academic background to carry out her project. Upon return to the U.S., she will complete her doctorate and pursue an academic career.
Yue (Sherry) Yuan, of Oak Park, Illinois, recently earned bachelor's degrees in English literature and in psychology and has been selected for the English Teaching Assistantship in Taiwan. She served as a communications intern for the Asian American Cultural Center and as a psychology lab assistant while at Illinois. Yuan has long been interested in the history of Taiwan and looks forward to fostering meaningful cultural exchanges with her students and host community. Beyond the classroom, she hopes to engage with Taiwanese by providing instruction in American jazz and swing dance culture, a role she is well-prepared for, thanks to her participation in the Illini Swing Society. Upon completion of her Fulbright, Yuan plans to pursue graduate studies in foreign policy and international affairs.
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