2008 Woodie Awards
Fulbright scholarships offered to four current students and one alum
Chris MacDonald '10
Issue date: 4/30/08 Section: News
The Fulbright Foundation awarded five Wheaton students with Fulbright scholarships this month. Esther Jeong '08, Michael Freese '08, Meghan Kenny '08, Ashlan Musante '08 and Derron J.R. Wallace '07 have been awarded the scholarship, and more await notification.
"We have great students, and we have a great track record with students winning," said Associate Dean and Chief Advising Officer for Academic Advising Alex Trayford.
The Fulbright scholarship funds one academic year's experience teaching abroad in one of 144 countries that support the program. The time covered in the Fulbright varies widely, since scholastic years differ from country to country.
The experience affords the winners a chance to experience teaching English abroad, but also to research their own academic interests, said the program's website.
The application process for the prestigious scholarship, which funds research or teaching in a foreign country for one year, is intense.
"It's a learning process," Trayford, who acts as a mentor to students during the application process, said.
He called the application "an extra course for September and October" due to the amount of time that students dedicate. Often, he said, Fulbright applicants participate in up to three intensive meetings a week.
The application includes two comprehensive essays: a compact two-page statement of intent and a one-page personal statement. Applications also include three letters of recommendation either from faculty or a person in the student's related area of interest.
In the short space between returning from summer and the deadline about six weeks later, students must craft and refine their application. Students must also participate in interviews conducted by a campus panel, which discusses with the prospective scholar the nature of their research interest and the reasons they applied for their country of choice.
"It's really about the student getting to know themselves," Trayford told the Wire. "The process, including the personal statement, demands introspection-getting to know who you are."
"We have great students, and we have a great track record with students winning," said Associate Dean and Chief Advising Officer for Academic Advising Alex Trayford.
The Fulbright scholarship funds one academic year's experience teaching abroad in one of 144 countries that support the program. The time covered in the Fulbright varies widely, since scholastic years differ from country to country.
The experience affords the winners a chance to experience teaching English abroad, but also to research their own academic interests, said the program's website.
The application process for the prestigious scholarship, which funds research or teaching in a foreign country for one year, is intense.
"It's a learning process," Trayford, who acts as a mentor to students during the application process, said.
He called the application "an extra course for September and October" due to the amount of time that students dedicate. Often, he said, Fulbright applicants participate in up to three intensive meetings a week.
The application includes two comprehensive essays: a compact two-page statement of intent and a one-page personal statement. Applications also include three letters of recommendation either from faculty or a person in the student's related area of interest.
In the short space between returning from summer and the deadline about six weeks later, students must craft and refine their application. Students must also participate in interviews conducted by a campus panel, which discusses with the prospective scholar the nature of their research interest and the reasons they applied for their country of choice.
"It's really about the student getting to know themselves," Trayford told the Wire. "The process, including the personal statement, demands introspection-getting to know who you are."
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