Fulbright winner to teach in Slovakia

Joshua Purvis '06, an English major and religious studies minor from Eureka, Calif., will teach English and study the post-Communism role of the Catholic Church in Slovakia next year as a Fulbright Scholar.

It was his study abroad at the University of Edinburgh that cemented Purvis' desire to gain greater international experience.

''During my year in Scotland, I realized how I served as a member of the international community living abroad, observing and participating in a foreign culture as well as contributing as a student-ambassador,'' Purvis explained. ''In Slovakia, the classroom environment will also provide an exceptional chance to interact with Slovak youth and learn their culture from their perspective.''

An aspiring professor, Purvis has made a point of being fully engaged in both the academic and artistic life of the college. A Community Scholar, Wheaton Fellow and Charles S. Dana Scholar, Purvis is a Dean's List student and was a member of the National French Honor Society in high school. He also was the artistic director of the student-run ensemble Café Theater for two years, a playwright and an Admissions Office senior intern. At home in California, he has worked as a music journalist for the North Coast Journal and attended the California State Summer School for the Arts.

His background in religion also plays a strong role in shaping his academic interests. He grew up in a Charismatic-Protestant family, and his more recent experience as a volunteer at a local Catholic parish and as an intern with the college's Office of Service, Spirituality and Social Responsibility led to a further exploration of world faiths. In Slovakia, he plans to conduct independent research of the role the Catholic Church has played in the country after the fall of Communism and the formation of independent statehood in 1993.

''My primary interest, as a student of Judeo-Christian religious history, is determining what role the church performs as the spiritual representative of national citizenry during a time of political and social evolution,'' Purvis said.