Centre students set new record by winning six Fulbrights

RELEASED: July 25, 2008

DANVILLE, KY—A record six members of Centre College's Class of 2008 were granted Fulbright Fellowship Program appointments. The prestigious studying/teaching-abroad award is named for the late Sen. J. William Fulbright and is funded by the United States Department of State.

Caitlin Harper , from Downers Grove, Ill., was awarded a research and teaching grant and will take a course at the University of Vienna in Austria and teach English. Harper credits her application success to Dr. Ian Wilson, assistant professor of German and humanities.

"If it weren't for his dedication and clever mind, I probably wouldn't be going to Vienna," Harper says.

Talia Harris , from Billings, Mont., was awarded a Fulbright to teach English in Germany. Harris turned down her Fulbright award for the opportunity to participate in the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme (JET). Harris will teach English in Uto, Japan, for two to three years.

Referring to the Fulbright application process, Harris says: "Centre gave me the education to be qualified for such an honor, the encouragement to apply for it, and the support to get me through the process, from application to my ultimate acceptance of another program."

Katie Pfohl , from Bowling Green, Ky., will be an English Teaching Assistant at a gymnasium (upper level German high school) in Brandenburg, Germany. Her job will be to assist other English teachers at the high school with conversational and cultural lessons to help students learn the language and break down cultural stereotypes.

"The German skills I learned at Centre prepared me for the language component of teaching," Pfohl says. "I studied abroad through the Centre-in-London program, which convinced me that spending prolonged periods of time in a foreign country is invaluable. I can actually become a member of the community during my time with the Fulbright and see more than just an average tourist would."

Audrey Rogers , of Dallas, will teach English in two schools in Chateauroux, France. The students in her class will range from ages 11 to 15.

Rogers says that Centre's abroad program in Strasbourg, France, was the best inspiration and preparation for her Fulbright.

"I hope to travel as much as possible!" she says. "I really want to explore Spain, Greece and Austria while I'm abroad in Europe."

Elizabeth Schildkret , from Chandler, Ariz., will be teaching English in Merida, Venezuela. She will use her background in theater and music as teaching tools in the classroom, teaching English through performance and participation rather than lecture.

"I also plan to find out as much as I can about Venezuelan theater while I'm there and collect mythology, legends and ghost stories from the local and indigenous populations."

Lillian Tuttle , of Versailles, Ky., received a Fulbright Research Grant to study marine ecology in France at the Université Montpellier II. Tentatively, she will be examining how environmental factors such temperature and agricultural runoff impact fishes' ability to ward off parasitic infection.

"Perhaps became of my liberal arts background, I was able to write a more poetic personal statement that highlighted my outdoors upbringing, college experience in Kentucky and even my travel-abroad experience in France," Tuttle says. "The fact that I'd already studied French and lived in France for three months must have been a real advantage to my application because it showed I was capable of engaging in cultural exchange."

Centre has one of the highest per capita rates of Fulbright winners in the country and the highest per capita rate in Kentucky, having produced 27 recipients over the last decade.

About Fulbright Awards : The Fulbright Fellowship Program is a national grant competition for U.S. citizens or permanent residents to work and/or study abroad during the course of their studies or after graduation. Grants cover travel and living costs for the academic year and necessary tuition at overseas universities. The goal of the program is to increase understanding between the United States and foreign countries. Selection for any Fulbright Student Program emphasizes leadership potential, academic and/or professional excellence, and commitment to mutual understanding.

- end -

Founded in 1819, Centre College is ranked among the U.S. News top 50 national liberal arts colleges. Consumers Digest ranks Centre No. 1 in educational value among all U.S. liberal arts colleges. Centre alumni, known for their nation-leading loyalty in annual financial support, include two U.S. vice presidents and two Supreme Court justices. For more, visit http://www.centre.edu/web/elevatorspeech/

For news archives go to http://www.centre.edu/web/news/newsarchive.html.