This year's Fulbright winners include: (front row, L-R) Eleanor Vorys, Kimberly McDonagh, Emily Papazian, Alec Walker, Sophia Marseille, Richard Balagtas, and Olivia Hart; (back row L-R) Ricardo Alberto, Doyle Calhoun and Graham Beck. (Photo by Lee Pellegrini)
Nine members of the Boston College Class of 2016 and five recent BC alumni (one of whom received a graduate degree Monday) are headed overseas for a year of scholarly activity supported by prestigious Fulbright grants.
Fulbright awards support a year’s post-baccalaureate study abroad, and students typically pursue research in various disciplines, or serve an English Teaching Assistantship, through which they not only teach English language but also use the opportunity to provide insights about American culture.
The ports of call for the award winners will be Germany, South Africa, Greece, Belgium, India, Malaysia, Cyprus, Spain, Bulgaria and the Philippines.
In addition, one graduating senior who received a Fulbright declined the award; another was named an alternate for a Fulbright award but is pursuing other post-graduate plans.
Meet the 2016 Fulbright winners:
Ricardo Alberto
HOMETOWN: San Francisco
DESTINATION: India
PROJECT: English Teaching Assistantship; plans to engage youths in the community through the formation of a basketball club, to promote health and wellness as an essential part of leading a happy and healthy life.
FUTURE PLANS: Law school, in preparation for a career in the field of immigration law.
•“Before embarking on my undergraduate studies, I had rarely ever traveled outside of my home state of California, let alone outside of the United States. Boston College provided tremendous opportunities for me to gain international experience to support my development as a global citizen. With the aid of resources on campus in funding study-abroad experiences, service and immersion programs, research endeavors and conference trips, I can proudly say that I will graduate from BC having visited 12 different countries. This Fulbright grant serves as the culmination of my four years here; the skills I’ve acquired in global awareness, cross-cultural collaboration and quick adaptability to new environments will prove incredibly valuable as I endeavor to serve as an English Teaching Assistant to senior secondary students in New Delhi.”
Richard Balagtas '16
HOMETOWN: Staten Island, NY
DESTINATION: Philippines
PROJECT: Related to his senior thesis, he will work with doctors, researchers and academics on a study of the Filipino government policy on transplant tourism: the act of traveling overseas to obtain an illegal organ transplantation. Preliminary research shows that the Philippines has been successful at mitigating the spread of the black market on organs within its borders; the aim is to help other countries struggling with organ trafficking.
FUTURE PLANS: Pursue a joint JD/MPH program, with a focus in international law and medical policy.
•“This Fulbright project represents the pinnacle of my academic career thus far. My time at BC has been geared toward understanding the intricacies of international public health, but more specifically, the intersection of medical ethics with cultural and religious barriers. My first taste of independent research came in the form of a summer semester abroad with [Political Science Associate Professor of the Practice] Kathleen Bailey in Kuwait. I knew from that point onward in my intellectual formation that I wanted to continue to travel the world, living and working with people from all different backgrounds. The Fulbright represents everything that we have been taught here at BC, the core importance of intercultural dialogue and an appreciation for expanding our education beyond the classroom and into the world.”
Graham Beck ’15
HOMETOWN: Los Altos, Calif.
DESTINATION: Germany
PROJECT: English Teaching Assistantship; he will seek to engage the community by sharing his favorite US publications – including the Boston Globe and Sports Illustrated – to promote discussion, hosting a World Series, Thanksgiving or Super Bowl party to share American cuisine, teaching a photography workshop and playing such sports as flag football.
FUTURE PLANS: Apply to medical school, to pursue a career in medicine and healthcare.
•“The Fulbright has connected my passion and interest in German language and culture, which I developed at BC, with my desire to teach and immerse myself in a foreign country.”
Doyle Calhoun '16
HOMETOWN: Duxbury, Mass.
DESTINATION: Belgium
PROJECT: To continue work on a digitized, searchable database of a set of 24 texts on Niger-Congo languages, written by French Catholic missionaries in the 19th and 20th centuries.
FUTURE PLANS: Doctoral studies in French linguistics at the University of Cambridge.
•“I’m excited to be immersed in an intellectual climate where the study of the historiography of linguistics is deeply valued and more developed than it is in the US. I hope my research can contribute not only to linguistics, but also to promoting cross-cultural understanding and collaboration between European and American scholars of the history of linguistics. I am deeply indebted to the mentorship, encouragement, and patience of Professor Margaret Thomas of Slavic and Eastern Languages, who has been instrumental in my personal and intellectual development during my four years at BC.”
Olivia Hart '16
HOMETOWN: Pensacola, Fla.
DESTINATION: Cyprus
PROJECT: English Teaching Assistantship; hopes to work with an after-school program that fosters intercultural communication among Cypriot students through the outlet of food and cooking.
FUTURE PLANS: Graduate school for education or social work with an eye toward a career in counseling or therapy-related work with children from bilingual or immigrant backgrounds.
•“I hope to take this year in Cyprus as a time of growth, both personally and professionally. In my position as an English Teaching Assistant, I hope to develop several of the skills that I have begun to acquire through coursework and extracurriculars at Boston College, including teaching language and literacy skills to students from diverse backgrounds, effective lesson planning, and intercultural communication. I also want to use the experience as a way to explore career options and decide on a master’s program. As a visiting scholar in Cyprus, I want to immerse myself in the culture of the island, learn Greek and Turkish, and witness to understand the ongoing consequences of the Cyprus problem.”
Narintohn Luangrath '14
HOMETOWN: Tigard, Ore.
DESTINATION: European Union
PROJECT: Will affiliate with the Migration Policy Institute Europe in Brussels, Belgium and pursue a research project on the labor market integration of refugees in the European Union by conducting interviews in four case countries: Germany, Sweden, Italy and the Czech Republic. Will also study how the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund supports EU member states’ refugee labor market integration programs.
FUTURE PLANS: Enroll in a JD/PhD program in the US.
•“Since graduating from Boston College two years ago, I have spent time evaluating federal social service programs intended to promote the economic mobility of resettled refugees in the United States. I look forward to learning more about how the EU is standardizing refugee protection across member states, while simultaneously working on the long-term integration of its refugee population. After my Fulbright year, I hope to share my findings with colleagues in the US government, which itself would benefit from studying the policies of other countries, especially EU member states.”
Sophia Marseille '16
HOMETOWN: Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
DESTINATION: South Africa
PROJECT: English Teaching Assistantship; will start an afterschool program where she hopes to teach dance, visual arts and creative writing with the theme of cultural exchange, creative development and community engagement.
FUTURE PLANS: Pursue joint law/master’s in education degree; plans to be involved with policy makers and organizations seeking to reform the U.S. public education system.
•“Being chosen for the Fulbright English Teaching Assistant program in South Africa is truly a blessing. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to serve as an ambassador for my country and to share my love for language with others. As an African and African Diaspora Studies minor, I have had the privilege of spending much of my BC career taking apart the meaning of race across various disciplines including literature. This, coupled with my experience teaching on the Jamaica Magis service trip, has fueled my passion for serving diaspora communities within the classroom. Growing up, I was fortunate enough to have had some great teachers who left lasting impacts on the trajectory of my education. As an English Teaching Assistant, I hope to give back some of those positive influences to my students.”
Kimberly McDonagh '15, M.A.'16
HOMETOWN: Latrobe, Pa.
DESTINATION: Greece
PROJECT: English Teaching Assistantship; will volunteer with programs for persons with disabilities.
FUTURE PLANS: Teach at an elementary school in an urban area where she’d like to blend different cultures into one classroom to create a comfortable learning environment.
•“As an educator, I am so excited to take on this new challenge of teaching in another country and representing America as a cultural ambassador. Throughout my five years in the Lynch School, I have developed a passion for incorporating social justice into the classroom. I believe that every student has something valuable to offer and should be given the opportunity to discover and develop as citizens throughout their education. I believe that all students need to be aware of foreign and domestic current events – particularly in countries with struggling economies, like the current situation in Greece. It is my hope that I can implement all that I have learned at Boston College in order to help students in Greece grow socially, emotionally and academically.”
Siobhan O’Brien '15
HOMETOWN: Amherst, Mass.
DESTINATION: Germany
PROJECT: English Teaching Assistantship; also plans on hosting movie showings to demonstrate diversity of social and culture structures in the US, and to work with students on their own films and multi-media presentations.
FUTURE PLANS: Pursue a graduate degree in international relations and international education development, and go on to work with NGOs that promote the development of education and exchange programs as a tool for generating international cooperation and conflict resolution.
•“Receiving this Fulbright is an honor, and a true culmination of everything I strove for throughout my four years at Boston College. At BC, I learned what it meant to share my education and passion with others, as well as how to be open to learning from others’ experiences and life stories – and this is exactly what I will be doing as an ETA in Germany next year.”
Emily Papazian '16
HOMETOWN: Lincoln, R.I.
DESTINATION: Spain
PROJECT: English Teaching Assistantship; plans to volunteer at an urban health clinic and as a community health educator.
FUTURE PLANS: University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine (fall 2017)
•“Being a member of the Boston College community has prompted me to explore new perspectives and taught me to recognize my skills and apply them for the benefit of others whenever possible. The courses I’ve taken and experiences such as Arrupe and Bystander have all taught me the vitality of effective communication and education in addressing challenging issues in our world. Participating in Fulbright as a teaching assistant will help me develop my communication skills in both English and Spanish for application as a medical student and physician.”
Willow Sommer '16
HOMETOWN: Eastport, N.Y.
DESTINATION: Germany
PROJECT: English Teaching Assistantship
FUTURE PLANS: Graduate school
•“I decided to apply for a Fulbright while studying abroad in Berlin last spring. Being away from BC gave me the clarity to appreciate how much I really loved studying German and Germany and, most importantly, that this was a viable direction in and of itself. I am grateful to the Fulbright program for offering an opportunity in which passionate curiosity is valued for its own sake. I am also thankful to Professor Michael Resler and to the whole German Department for their encouragement and advice in this pursuit.”
Rebekah Straneva '13
HOMETOWN: North East, Pa.
DESTINATION: Bulgaria
PROJECT: English Teaching Assistantship; volunteer in hospital and health clinics.
FUTURE PLANS: Graduate study in cognitive science
•“My great-grandparents left Eastern Europe for an opportunity to raise their children in the US, where they could live the ‘American Dream.’ In return, I would like an opportunity to teach in Bulgaria, where I can inspire future generations to challenge themselves in life.”
Eleanor Vorys '16
HOMETOWN: Gahanna, Ohio
DESTINATION: Malaysia
PROJECT: English Teaching Assistantship; intends to create after-school program to promote brainstorming techniques and physical activity.
FUTURE PLANS: Pursue graduate studies and work with migrants within US communities to ensure positive integration.
•“As an International Studies major, the Fulbright program will be an incredible capstone to my studies in international ethics and social justice. My extracurricular work at Boston College with the student organization FACES and several other diversity education initiatives has helped me discover a profound foundational philosophy of utilizing education to empower individuals and influence change; I hope to place this in practice during my time in Malaysia.”
Alec Walker '16
HOMETOWN: Laconia, N.H.
DESTINATION: Germany
PROJECT: English Teaching Assistantship; will also volunteer within local refugee communities.
FUTURE PLANS: Enroll in doctoral program in history; envisions career as teacher or academic.
•“In one way, the Fulbright is the realization of a goal I’d set myself freshman year: I heard about the grant about halfway through my first year here, and intended to apply for it from then on. More importantly though, the Fulbright will allow me to continue the process of thinking, reading, learning, and writing that began, for me, at Boston College.”
Erin Comber was selected for an English Teaching Assistantship in Colombia but declined the grant. Katherine Quigley was named a Fulbright alternate but is pursuing other plans.
—Ed Hayward, Kathleen Sullivan, Sean Hennessey, Rosanne Pellegrini, Sean Smith | News & Public Affairs