Ten Students, Alumni Named Fulbright Scholars

In keeping with the tradition of producing well-rounded leaders, a record ten San Diego State University students and graduates have earned Fulbright Scholarships for 2010-2011. Each will travel abroad for educational pursuits while undergoing unique, first-hand cultural experiences in countries like Peru, Indonesia, Mexico, Macau, Spain and Germany.

For a full academic year, each recipient of the distinctive grant will conduct research or impart knowledge as a teaching assistant in an academic category that relates to their field of study. The U.S. Department of State sponsors the grants.

“Being granted a Fulbright has given me the ability to gain some international perspective on education and will allow me to work with people from different places and backgrounds,” said Natalie Selinski, who graduated this month with a master’s degree in mathematics and will travel to Germany.

“I think the opportunity will change my views about the cultural expectations in the education field while broadening my understanding of mathematics education and education research.”  

SDSU’s ten Student Fulbright Scholars this year are among more than 1,500 U.S. citizens who will travel abroad for the 2010-2011 academic year through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program.

Fulbrights will study biology, philosophy, dance and more

The students and recent SDSU graduates to receive Fulbright grants this year include:

• Gabriel Chait, a graduate student studying biology, will conduct ethno-botanical research in Peru designed to assist in conserving endangered species of traditional medicinal plants in the northern Andes of Peru.
• Jolie Colby will complete her master’s in philosophy this summer and will be a Fulbright English teaching assistant in Indonesia. She will work at an Islamic boarding school as the on-campus English expert.  Additionally, she plans to design a project to encourage environmental awareness.
• Cassandra Conboy, who received her bachelor's degree in liberal studies from SDSU in 2009, will be a Fulbright English teaching assistant in Turkey. 
• Amy Ebersole graduated in May with a bachelor's degree in comparative literature. She will be an English teaching assistant in the Czech Republic.
• Dexter Hough-Snee will travel to Peru after receiving his master’s in Spanish and Portuguese this month. His Fulbright project will analyze the contributions of African and indigenous modes of representation to Peruvian theater traditions. He will conduct research at the National Library and the Pontificia Universidad Catolica and collaborate with Lima's vibrant theater community. Following his Fulbright, he will pursue a doctorate at University of California Berkeley.
• Anthony Jerry will conduct research in Oaxaca, Mexico, on coastal communities of Afro-Mexican heritage.  He graduated in 2006 with a master's degree in anthropology and is pursuing a doctoral degree at the University of Illinois.
• Carlos Moya Linares is currently a graduate student in political science. He received a Fulbright English teaching assistant grant to Macau. He plans to use his multicultural and electrical engineering backgrounds, and martial arts experience to enhance his community involvement and impact students' lives.
• Jeffrey Peterson, a graduate student in anthropology, will travel to Indonesia for his Fulbright Scholarship. There, he will investigate the Balinese transmigration to Sulawesi and how this resettling has affected their feelings regarding the sacredness of local macaque populations.
• Linda Richardson (pictured above) received her bachelor’s degree in humanities in 2007. She will study flamenco dance in Sevilla, Spain. She will supplement her curriculum by studying the flamenco puro style of dance from prominent gypsy artists.
• Natalie Selinski is graduating in May 2010 with a master’s degree in mathematics. During her Fulbright project in Germany, she will study how students develop concepts and reasoning in linear algebra as taught in the 12th and 13th grades at the German Gymnasium and in the first year at the German University. She will also observe courses at Albert Einstein Gymnasium Ulm and the Universität Augsburg and conduct interviews with students.

Last year, five SDSU students and alumni received the distinctive award. Since 2005, 33 U.S. Fulbright grants have been awarded to SDSU students. This year, SDSU also had four professors named Fulbright Scholars: Dipak Gupta, Larry Herzog, Sally Mathiesen and Sarah Elkins.

For more information on SDSU Fulbright awards, faculty and students can visit SDSU's Office of International Programs.

About the Fulbright Program

Since its establishment in 1946 under legislation introduced by the late U.S. Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas, the Fulbright Program has given approximately 300,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists and scientists the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.

Fulbright alumni have achieved distinction in government, science, the arts, business, philanthropy, education, and athletics. Forty Fulbright alumni from 11 countries have been awarded the Nobel Prize, and 75 alumni have received Pulitzer Prizes.