Earlham College | News from Public Affairs

Katy Brim, Ellie Falk and Meredith Hanson are Fulbright Scholarship recipients.

Fulbright Scholarship recipients and Earlham Class of 2007 members (from left) Katy Brim, Ellie Falk and Meredith Hanson gather following the Baccalaureate Service on May 5.

RICHMOND, Ind. — Three Earlham seniors have been granted Fulbright Scholarships for the 2007-2008 academic year. Katy Brim and Meredith Hanson will serve as English language teaching assistants, while Ellie Falk will conduct research related to immigration in the city of Berlin.

The Fulbright program, which is funded jointly by the United States and the host countries, supports the international scholarship and cultural exchange in countries all over the world.

Brim, a German major and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) minor from Greenfield, Ind., will serve as an English teaching assistant in a high school in the city of Münster, in the North Rhine-Westphalia region of Germany. A veteran of Earlham's Germany/Austria program, she looks forward to returning to Germany and learning more German language and culture. She will engage in additional cultural exchange by organizing soccer matches for her students. At Earlham, she has been involved in intramural soccer and softball. She plans a career as a German teacher.

"People have been telling me that this award will open up a lot of opportunities for me, and I'm excited to see what happens," says Brim.

Hanson, a Comparative Languages & Linguistics major and TESOL minor from Interlochen, Mich., will bring extensive experience in language instruction to her teaching assistant work in France. She has taught French and Japanese at summer immersion camps and participated in Earlham's Studies in Cross Cultural Education (SICE) program in Japan. She hopes that her Fulbright experience will be an opportunity to continue her exploration of approaches to language learning. She also plans to take university courses in language education while in France. Hanson, who participated in Earlham's Gamelan (musical) ensemble and challenge education programs, hopes to teach foreign languages on the middle school level.

"The apparent success of language teaching in Europe has often been held up as a model for the U.S.," she notes. "I know that this experience will inform my future work as a teacher in American schools."

Falk, a German and Human Development & Social Relations major from Cincinnati, Ohio, plans to investigate how organizations in Berlin are helping to integrate Turkish immigrants into German society. She will study how social service organizations are addressing the needs of recent immigrants and interview immigrants themselves about their experiences in Germany. Falk also plans to take graduate level courses at Humboldt University. At Earlham, Falk participated in the Germany/Austria program and has been particularly involved in the music program, playing in the orchestra and flute choir. While graduate school is likely in Falk's future, she plans to explore options for living and working in Germany for an extended period of time.

"I could see myself working for an organization like the ones I will be studying," says Falk. "I hope this opportunity will give me more clarity about where I should go next."

Earlham has a strong track record for graduating future Fulbright Scholars. Two years ago, the College was in the top 20 nationally for Fulbright production.

"Our three Fulbright winners are excellent matches for the program, with its emphasis on deepening understanding among Americans and citizens of other nations," says Sara Penhale, Earlham's Fulbright program adviser. "Katy and Beth each view the acquisition of another language as the key to learning about another culture. Ellie's work with immigrants in Germany will put her at the convergence of a number of different cultures."

Established in 1946, the Fulbright Program aims to increase mutual understanding between the peoples of the United States and other countries, through the exchange of persons, knowledge and skills. Senator J. William Fulbright spearheaded the act of Congress that created the Fulbright Program to demonstrate U.S. commitment to democratic values worldwide.

Over the past six decades, the Fulbright Program has provided more than 250,000 students, scholars and professionals worldwide with the opportunity to observe each others' political, economic and cultural institutions and exchange ideas. The program strives for the broadest representation possible. Each year, about 4,500 students from more than 425 public and private institutions apply for 1,000 fellowships in all fields of study.

Contact:
Sara Penhale, science librarian and Fulbright program adviser
765/983-1612 — E-Mail Sara