Several College of Liberal Arts and Sciences students and recent LAS graduates will be spending the 2012-13 academic year overseas pursuing fully funded research, studies, or English teaching under Fulbright grants.
“We’re thrilled by the richness and creativity of the projects that our Fulbright awardees will pursue. Our Illinois students can really make a difference,” says Laura Hastings, a co-director of the scholarships program at Illinois and adjunct assistant professor of political science.
LAS student winners:
Rosemary Admiral, a doctoral candidate in history, has been offered a Fulbright grant to conduct research in Morocco. Admiral, of Clinton, Wash., plans to continue her dissertation research, investigating how women engaged with Islamic law in 14th- and 15th-century Morocco. A former Dominican Republic Peace Corps volunteer with an undergraduate degree in computer science and Spanish, Admiral has switched her focus to studies in the Middle East. She plans a career as a professor of Middle Eastern history.
Jovana Babovic, a doctoral candidate in modern European history with a focus on Eastern Europe, Russia, and urban history, will begin her Fulbright year in Serbia. There she will further her dissertation research on the relationship of the state and society to urban culture in interwar Belgrade. Babovic, of Rochester, Minn., was born in Bosnia and Herzegovina. She intends to pursue a career as a professor of history.
Tiffanie Bui, who earned a bachelor’s degree in English and master’s in library and information science at Illinois, has earned a Fulbright English teaching assistantship in Norway. She will be working with students at a high school and a university, serving as a resource person in conversation and writing groups and giving talks related to American studies. Bui, of Urbana, emigrated with her family from Vietnam at an early age. She plans a career as a school librarian or language arts teacher.
Dana Fager, a recent LAS graduate with a bachelor’s degree in international studies, will investigate changes in Japanese students studying abroad and potentially corresponding changes in hiring practices in Japan. Fager, of Oak Park, Ill., studied abroad for a year at Konan University through the Year-in-Japan Program. She also was awarded Critical Language Scholarships from the U.S. Department of State for intensive Japanese study in the summers of 2011 and 2012. She intends to continue her work strengthening U.S.-Japan relations by advocating for intercultural exchanges.
Matthew Grobis, who graduated as a James Scholar honors student with a bachelor’s degree in integrative biology, will be studying in Germany as a Fulbright scholar this upcoming academic year. Grobis of Vernon Hills, Ill., His Fulbright proposal is to research the link between animal personality and social learning in the great tit, a bird of the Paridae family at Max Planck Institute for Ornithology. Grobis, of Vernon Hills, Ill., intends to pursue a career as a professor of biology.
Evan Murphy, who began his doctoral studies in history at Illinois in 2009, has been offered a Fulbright grant to Egypt. Murphy, of Montague, Mich., proposes to further his dissertation research examining how agricultural science became an authoritative source of agrarian knowledge in Egypt during the British occupation. He plans to use his experience in Egypt as a professor specializing in modern Middle Eastern social and cultural history.
Agata Parfieniuk, who earned a bachelor’s degree in molecular and cellular biology, will use her Fulbright grant to work with scientists at the University of Sao Paulo Medical School, Brazil, who are conducting research on genes in the pituitary gland to better understand the origin of hormone disorders. Her interest in endocrinology developed while working in professor Lori Raetzman’s laboratory for three years at Illinois. Parfieniuk, of Niles, Ill., plans to pursue an advanced degree in medicine or biology upon her return to the U.S.
Niru Pradhan, who earned a bachelor’s degree in political science at Illinois, will use her Fulbright grant to India to chronicle the work of the Akshaya Patra Foundation, an organization that delivers lunches to more than a million children every school day. She will examine the residual effects of decentralized development on women’s empowerment in three rural communities in northern India. Niru, of Bolingbrook, Ill., intends to attend graduate school in the field of international development.
Ryan Schmidt, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in history and concentration in secondary education, will be teaching English to high school students in South Korea with a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship. He completed a capstone research seminar in the Illinois history department and has presented his work on racial integration and the civil rights movement. Schmidt, of Park Ridge, Ill., plans a career teaching high school history and working to eliminate educational inequity in the U.S.
LAS student alternates:
Scott Harrison, a doctoral candidate in history, was named an alternate for a Fulbright award to Germany for the academic year 2012-13. Harrison, of Rutherford, N.J., is focusing his work on the history of gender and sexuality in modern European history. He plans to become a professor of history.
Joseph Johnson, a French major and gender and women’s studies minor who earned a bachelor’s degree this May, has been named an alternate for a Fulbright Grant to study in France. His Fulbright proposal is to spend a year at the Ecole Nationale des Chartes, researching manuscript copies of “Roman de Renart,” a medieval French fable. Johnson, of Chicago, plans a career as a professor of French.
Amanda Robinson, who received her undergraduate degrees from Illinois in biology and Russian language and literatures, has been named an alternate Fulbright candidate to New Zealand. Her project seeks to study alternative ways to band and identify an endangered penguin species habituating on the Banks Peninsula of New Zealand. Amanda. Her work in conservation includes lab experience with professor Andrew Suarez and the Illinois Natural History Survey. Robinson, of Cullom, Ill., hopes to continue with advanced degrees in conservation biology.
Tsz Wai (Sammi) Wong, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in French and international studies from Illinois, was named an alternate for an English Teaching Assistantship to Turkey for the 2012-13 academic year. Wong, of Woodridge, Ill., developed her interest in teaching English as a foreign language through her volunteer work with the Intensive English Institute on campus. She intends to work toward a career with the federal government.
Alternates may receive awards if other designees decline the grant or additional funds are made available. The grants generally provide full funding for round-trip travel, room and board, health insurance, and full or partial tuition for awardees to pursue opportunities in more than 135 nations. Candidates from all disciplines design and outline their individual overseas projects as part of their application. Additionally, pre-arranged Fulbright English Teaching Assistantships are available to more than 65 nations.
The goal of the Fulbright program, administered by the U.S. Department of State, is to promote cross-cultural interaction and mutual understanding through students’ engagement in their host communities. The Fulbright program annually awards 1,700 academic-year grants to U.S. graduating college seniors, recent alumni, and current master’s and doctoral students.
The National and International Scholarships Program is accepting Fulbright applications from U of I students and alumni for the 2013-2014 year. Contact topscholars@illinois.edu for more information.
