Going the Distance
UMBC students often take their learning experience out of the classroom by interning at local companies, discussing ideas with visiting scholars, or doing service in the community. For some students, prestigious awards help them to take their studies even farther: across the globe as they pursue opportunities in other countries.
This year, three recent students were awarded Fulbright awards to research or teach in other countries, while two current students received Boren scholarships to study in countries that are important to U.S. security interests.
Jessica Sadler ’09, English, Anna Gitterman ’10, biological sciences, and Michele Ko ’10, music, were awarded Fulbright fellowships for the 2010-2011 academic year. Sadler and Gitterman will be teaching English, Sadler in Thailand and Gitterman in Argentina. Ko will be going to Italy to study an obscure period of flute performance.
“Without a Fulbright Scholarship, working in another country would be a lot harder and less secure,” said Sadler.
“UMBC students are very competitive for Fulbright awards,” said Brian Souders, associate director of study abroad in the office of international education services. Across the country, only about one in four students who apply for a Fulbright award receives one. This year, three of UMBC’s four applicants were awarded the prestigious scholarship.
“When I found out I had received the Fulbright, I was at a part-time job, driving around in a golf cart. I almost drove into a lake when my mom told me over the phone,” said Ko. Her research goal is to resurrect the flute concertos of the Neapolitan Period.
Gitterman hopes that her experience in Argentina will improve her Spanish language fluency. “I am currently applying to medical schools and believe that understanding Spanish is an incredible skill as a physician. During a shadowing experience at a local hospital I witnessed the devastating effect a language barrier has on the relationship between a physician and patient,” she said.
In addition to UMBC’s Fulbright awards, two students were awarded Boren scholarships. The purpose of the Boren scholarship is to help fund language-intensive study abroad experiences for undergraduates in countries that are strategically important to national security.
“It helps students to study and become more familiar with languages in non-traditional study abroad areas,” said Souders.
Vivian Ekey, ’11, political science and modern languages and linguistics, will be studying Portuguese in Brazil and working on an independent research project on Afro-Brazilian Politics. “I’ve always been fascinated by Brazilian culture and how it is marked by a confluence of cultural influence,” she said.
Priyanka Oza, ’11, health administration and public policy, will be studying Hindi in India. She hopes that studying in the country will help her to explore her Indian heritage, and while there she will be doing an internship and directed research project related to public health issues.
“India and the United States share similar health care concerns,” she said. “By studying such issues in India, I will be better prepared to deal with health care issues in the U.S.”
(7/23/10)
