»Past Scholarship Recipients

As an English teaching assistant in India, I intend to work alongside education initiatives such as their Right to Education Act, which advocates for free education for children between the ages 6 and 14, while implementing creative activities that augment my students’ learning.

Working with the master teacher’s curriculum, I would like to focus on engaging students in a holistic creative process spanning from creating curriculum-relevant artwork to presenting their art to peers, thus fostering English skills and enhancing students’ ability to communicate about topics they feel are important.

I applied to the Fulbright in Jordan to teach in this system and further understand how the Jordanian curricula and philosophy of education translate into pedagogical practice. I hope to gain experience in teaching, as well as acquire valuable insight into the best avenues for creating educational systems that justly deal with the formidable issues experienced around the world today.

I hope to learn more about Jordanian culture and continue to re-evaluate and share a different perspective on many negative stereotypes that surround the Middle East region.

I’ve always had a passion for education and a deep respect for the teaching profession, so I wanted to pursue a career in education policy after leaving Chapman.

Since I love politics and international relations, I try to make sure that my students are aware of what is going on in the world and so we start every class period by watching a video of news headlines and then having a group discussion about what we saw.

I feel so privileged to have such an opportunity as great as the Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship. It is hard to believe that a little over a year ago I had not even heard of the Fulbright program, and now I am preparing to live in Madrid, Spain for the 2013-2014 academic year. I would like to thank Dr. Sally Ann Giess, Dr. Melissa Rowland-Goldsmith and Dr. Christopher Kim for their recommendations, and Dr. Polly Hodge for her language evaluation. Additionally, I appreciate all of the help and support that Dr. Eileen Jankowski has given me throughout the process of making this grant a reality. Finally, I would like to extend a very special thank you to Dr. Barbara Mulch. She was the one who first introduced me to the Fulbright program, believed in me as a potential Fulbright scholar and inspired me to chase my most ambitious dreams.

I will spend the better part of next year assistant-teaching Spanish high school students in various subjects, allowing me to apply my passions of education and cultural immersion through a uniquely rich experience. Most importantly, I am honored to have the chance to inspire students just as my professors have constructively guided me.

Cambria Findley-Grubb is a double major in political science and peace studies who was awarded a full grant to conduct research in an indigenous population of Nova Scotia, Canada. She will be associated with St. Mary’s University in Halifax, where she’ll work with the Gorsebrook Research Institute for Atlantic Canada Studies. Cambria plans to research the impact of educational policy on indigenous populations.

Erika Sanders is a political science and peace studies double major who will teach English at a foreign language high school in the Bulgarian town of Rousse, near the Danube River.

It is an honor for me, to have the opportunity to be a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) in Taichung, Taiwan for the 2013-2014 school year. As a Fulbright ETA, I will be assisting a local teacher to teach English as well as interact with students outside of class by offering extra help. My goal is not to only work within the school, but experience what it is like to live and be part of the Taiwanese culture. I plan to volunteer in the community and expand my knowledge as I interact and engage with the people of Taiwan.

I am excited about this opportunity because I love to travel and I love learning about different cultures, especially Asian cultures. From this experience, I hope to broaden my perspective on teaching and also be able to learn and apply teaching skills that will help mold and shape me to become a better educator.

I want to thank Dr. Dawn Hunter, Dr. Kimberly White-Smith, and Dr. Michelle Samura for writing my letters of recommendation and supporting me through this process. I am very thankful for Dr. Barbara Mulch for seeing the potential in me and encouraging me to apply for this scholarship; without her, I would never have had this great opportunity. Last but not least, thank you to Dr. Eileen Jankowski who jumped in the middle of the process and helped me finish off my application strong.

I am excited for the opportunity to be a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Madrid, Spain this year. It is an honor to receive this award and contribute to Fulbright’s mission of understanding among cultures. Having recently graduated, the Fulbright award gives me an avenue to pursue my educational studies in a different way by assistant-teaching high school students and taking on an independent research project researching regional variations and preparations of Spanish cuisine.

I look forward to being able to share my own cultural background, while absorbing Spain’s lifestyle and customs. I am so proud to become a part of the Fulbright Program and meet several other scholars who are also passionate about learning, teaching and experiencing another culture. I am very thankful to Dr. Barbara Mulch for her support every step of the way, as well as the encouragement of my professors who motivated me throughout the process.

It is an honor to be awarded the Udall Scholarship. Through the Udall Foundation, I will have the opportunity to meet with some of the best environmental science students in the nation during the scholarship recipient orientation.

I am currently a senior studying environmental science and policy. I am interested in pursuing a graduate program in environmental science and natural resources. My passion towards preserving the planet Earth has given me the drive to manage my family’s recycling business, be a full-time student, and take part in community projects pertaining to sustainability. I plan to continue giving back to the community in the future.

I am very thankful for all the support that I have received from everyone at Chapman, particularly Dr. Jason Keller, Dr. Brian Glaser, Dr. Jeanne Gunner, and Dr. Barbara Mulch. These individuals motivated me to apply for this scholarship and went above and beyond to support me every step of the way.

As a first generation college graduate and graduate student the Fulbright Fellowship represents more than an academic opportunity for me personally, it also represents the fulfillment of the hopes of more than two generations of my family members. Growing up in rural East Texas, my mother and grandmother cultivated in me a love of reading and the desire to learn about cultures different from my own.

The Fulbright Fellowship is the first step in my long term academic and professional goals. While in Paris, I will research the life and career of Ada Bricktop Smith and concentrate on women’s entrepreneurship during the jazz age and the impact of a woman club owner at a time when very few women worked outside of the home. Ultimately, the Fulbright will open doors for me to write about the African American female expatriate experience in Paris between the World Wars. I am so proud to be part of the Fulbright Program and like so many others before me to be part of the bridge between French and American cultures.

With a Truman Scholarship, I won much more than a scholarship. The prestige of the title of Truman Scholar and the Truman community network I gained come with substantial benefits. I now have an opportunity to earn a graduate degree, typically with tuition waivers, have access to a wide array of internships, and future employment advantages in a vast pool of government agencies. Another benefit is the friendships I have made. It was amazing to meet passionate public servants from every state in one location.

Realizing the magnitude of my achievement and knowing the commitment the Truman Foundation gives to the career development of its scholars, I feel more confident than ever that I will achieve my dream career in international development.

I feel tremendously honored to receive a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship. The Scholarship represents the opportunity to give back to the oceanic environment, which has served as the backdrop of my childhood, youth, and now motivates me as a young adult. To be able to study and live in a country at the forefront of marine environmental policy and also represent the United States as an Ambassador is both exciting and humbling.

Even more importantly, the philanthropic nature of the Ambassadorial Scholarship is the perfect marriage between academics and community service. Not only will I focus my academics on the environmental issues about which I am so passionate, but I will also be able to continue my volunteerism while abroad. In the future, I will advocate for strong environmental protections at the federal level, either with an NGO or as a Congressional staff member. Ultimately, I hope to pursue my PhD in political science and teach environmental politics at the University level.

The Fulbright grant was an opportunity to complete research in an international academic setting, providing valuable perspective on the initiatives in global health and development in different cultural and social settings. While much of my learning took place in a classroom and alongside professionals working in the health field, most of the insights I gained were a result of my adventures into various parts of the country. It was an honor to fulfill the mission of the Fulbright, promoting better understanding of my country’s global impact and serving as a bridge between Nicaraguan and United States culture. My growth as a Fulbright Scholar in diplomacy and open-mindedness to other cultures will forever serve me in my future professional as well as personal endeavors.

“Looking back to freshman year, I could never imagine being granted an opportunity to attend graduate school abroad in Scotland. The Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship is giving me a chance to further my education and also allow me to give back to communities around me in an entirely different environment than I’ve ever experienced. I’m so thankful and blessed.”

The honor of being selected as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar is compounded by what the experience will mean particularly to me, both personally and professionally. One thousand and one anecdotes from my Finnish family had set my sights on studying at the University of Helsinki long before my placement there; locale aside, a further great benefit of the Rotary scholarship is its enormous flexibility.

Specifically, it will allow me to pursue graduate work in Nordic languages and literatures that will set apart my eventual applications to American graduate institutions. This of course is to say nothing of the myriad opportunities for personal enrichment that accompany international study. I am thrilled and proud to be a part of this program!

I spent the 2010-2011 school year as a graduate student in Mumbai, India through a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship. As a recent graduate, Rotary allowed me to synthesize my four years of college education and reorient myself towards my future. I rekindled my passion for food security, and was able to spend my summer break volunteering on a rural organic farm and research center.

I was also able to celebrate Rotary’s achievement of a long-time goal – the eradication of polio in India. This year was invaluable to my development as a scholar, and as a person who is passionate about poverty alleviation. The exchanges between me and my Indian classmates at the Tata Institute for Social Sciences challenged our existing views and pushed us to see issues from multiple perspectives. I have returned to the US with a renewed vigor for working to improve our food systems and gratitude for the perspective I carry with me.