21 Brown Seniors and Recent Alumni Win Fulbright Scholarships!
Some of Brown’s Fulbright winners gather in front of the Annmary Memorial building where they recently gathered to celebrate and compare notes. Top row: Hans Dietrich, Dara Bayer, Jacob Izenberg, Daniella Kupor, Christina Koningisor, Mai Denawa, Samuel Novacich. Bottom row: Victoria Chao, Amy Chang, Camia Crawford, Tara Gonsalves, Leonora Zoninsein.
06/24/2008 - 20 members of the class of 2008 and 1 member of the class of 2007 have been awarded Fulbright grants for the 2008-2009 academic year to pursue independent research, study, and/or teach English in 17 different countries including Brazil, China, France, Germany, Japan, Kenya, Kuwait, Malaysia, Nicaragua, and Yemen. The students will be undertaking projects in a wide variety of fields such as Anthropology, Art History, Dance Studies, and Public Health as part of this flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government.
Two recent graduates--Samuel Novacich ‘08 and Dara Bayer ’08--will be going to Brazil this year. Novacich, a double concentrator in Anthropology and Latin American Studies, was awarded a grant to analyze public responses and reactions to the rise in violence in Rio de Janeiro’s impoverished neighborhoods. His overall goal is “to create cross-cultural academic connections between American and Brazilian communities concerned with violence.”
Bayer, on the other hand, will be examining the significance between both visual and performing arts and activism. Specifically concentrating on the modern “black movement,” or ‘movimento negro,’ Bayer aims at researching the strategies which utilize the arts as a mechanism of racial awareness in Brazil.
Christina Koningisor ‘08 received a Fulbright grant to Kuwait in order to further her study of Arabic as well as measure the role of women in the country’s politics. Koningisor graduated with a BA in political science and is committed to mastering Arabic. The Fulbright Project will be an excellent marriage of her intellectual interests.
In addition to research grants, teaching Assistantships offered by numerous countries through the Fulbright program present another option for graduating seniors. This opportunity often appeals to students interested in fostering learning between the United States and other countries, or who desire a unique international experience but do not have a strong idea for a research or study project. In addition to teaching 12-15 hours per week, students use the rest of their time to pursue a self-proposed “side-project.”
Tara Gonsalves ’08 received an English Teaching Assistantship in Indonesia. With previous teaching experience in India during 2006, Gonsalves is equipped with the skills needed for her Fulbright teaching assistantship. In Indonesia, she “would like to learn about the type of teaching style that is able to unify Indonesian students while at the same time respecting differences in ethnic groups and religion.” While overseas, Gonzalves also hopes to “learn and share as much as possible about Indonesia.”
Elisabeth Zerofsky, MA ‘08 received a Fulbright-French Government Teaching Assistantship. With an MA in French Studies from Brown, Zerofsky will research the relationship between the French Government and the lack of representation of the immigrant population in higher education. Zerofsky heads to France with three years experience as a teaching assistant in the French Studies Department at Brown University.
Associate Dean of the College Linda Dunleavy, who serves as the Fellowship Dean and the Fulbright Program Advisor at Brown, attributes Brown’s success with the Fulbright program to the match between the “world is your oyster” spirit of the Fulbright program and the adventurous spirit of Brown undergraduates. “Our success with this award demonstrates the strength of our undergraduate curriculum which prepares students to take risks and chart their own intellectual journeys,” she says.
The Dean of the College Office is thrilled with the number of successful applicants this year. 58 graduating seniors and recent alumni applied and 21 received the fellowships, which is a strong percentage. In late October when the Chronicle of Higher Education publishes the results of this year’s Fulbright competition, we expect to place well against peer institutions.
Additional information on fellowships both domestic and international, is available at
http://www.brown.edu/Administration/Dean_of_the_College/fellowships/