Wheaton graduate wins Fulbright to Thailand

Derron J.R. Wallace, who graduated from Wheaton in May 2007, must have a million frequent flyer miles by now. He keeps winning national awards that send him traveling across the globe pursuing and spreading knowledge.

His next stop? Thailand. Wallace has just won a 2008 Fulbright to teach English and conduct research on education reform. In his Fulbright proposal, he said that as a teaching assistant he hopes to help Thai students gain higher levels of fluency in English and a broader, fuller understanding of the diversity and complexity of American culture. In addition, Wallace wants to "further develop my teaching and cross-cultural skills; become more deeply acquainted with Thai culture and lifestyle; and expand my language skills."

"Over the course of the last two years, I have been tracking the educational improvements taking place in Thailand and other East Asian countries," he said. "I am eager to gain first-hand accounts from educators and policy-makers in order to learn more about the impetus for and progress of Thailand's efforts to develop a knowledge-based economy. I am particularly interested in finding out how Thailand, despite relatively recent natural disasters and economic setbacks, is able to fund and sustain their reform efforts."

Since he graduated, the Bronx, N.Y., resident's itinerary has been full. As the winner of a Kathryn Wasserman Davis 100 Projects for Peace grant in 2007, Wallace implemented an intensive literacy program for 100 primary school students and provided school uniforms for children in Jamaica, and established small school libraries in Tanzania. As a 2007 Thomas J. Watson Foundation fellowship winner, he has been traveling and studying the historical roots and current practice of the Pentecostal faith tradition among worshippers in Trinidad & Tobago, Ghana, Ethiopia, Uganda, Rwanda, the United Kingdom and Guatemala. (He even has a blog about his Watson experiences.)

Wallace, who was born in Jamaica, has been a natural teacher since childhood. His first official teaching assistantship occurred while he was in elementary school. Under the guidance of a teacher, he taught third grade students English for two consecutive summers.

In high school, he was invited to teach English as a second language in the Bronx and mentor his immigrant peers. "As I learned about the cultures and histories of my peers, I gained insights into the power of culturally-relevant, age-appropriate teaching methodologies and curricula," he said. "My time teaching ESL to high school students in the Bronx proved to be a critical, formative, cross-cultural experience that confirmed my calling to the vocation of teaching, although I tried to deny it."

At Wheaton that passion blossomed. And, noted Wallace, "my definition of teaching transformed from the mere transfer of knowledge to a means of redressing social inequality."

In Thailand, Wallace plans to employ some of the innovative teaching methods he has developed over the years, including designing collaborative group debates, using literary and audio-visual aids and the creative and performing arts to improve language comprehension. (Ever the student, Wallace, who has learned Spanish, Zulu and Swahili, is searching for books, tapes and online software, and reaching out to his Thai friends from the Bronx All-American High School Choir to learn as much of the Thai language as possible before arriving in Thailand.)

He also plans to draw upon his interests in music and journalism by having students translate songs and newspaper articles, and perhaps write their own. For advanced learners, he will introduce literary narratives of black writers such as Toni Morrison and James Baldwin.

"I suspect that this kind of exposure to scholarly literature, especially those of Black immigrants, will shed light on the variability and intricacies of American identities," Wallace said. "Furthermore, I believe that if Thai students are to learn about the United States, they can also do so from culturally diverse scholarship."

Wallace came to Wheaton as a Posse Scholar through the college's partnership with the Posse Foundation in New York. Posse connects urban public high school students who have exceptional leadership potential with highly selective colleges around the country.

A major in sociology and African Diaspora studies, Wallace was inducted into the national honor society, Phi Beta Kappa, in the fall of 2006, and he earned the college's academic achievement award, Presidential Scholar, two consecutive years.
Wheaton's emphasis on global education matched Wallace's own interest in study abroad. He spent a semester in South Africa in 2005, and through the college's Davis International Fellows program, he worked with the Community Peace Program in South Africa and volunteered at Silverstream High School in Manenberg, Cape Town. In 2006, he traveled to Tanzania for research and community service through the Wheaton Fellows program.

President of the college's Student Government Association, Wallace was active in numerous campus organizations, from peer academic advisor and member of the Wheaton Chorale and Chamber Singers to a founding member of the Voices United to Jam gospel choir and chair and founder of the Disability Awareness Committee.

Professor Kersti Yllö who recommended Wallace for the Fulbright described him as the embodiment of an independent global citizen. "His personal narrative took him from Jamaica to a public school in New York City to Wheaton College and then on into the world as a Watson Fellow. He has traveled extensively and has always used those opportunities to observe and listen carefully…. J.R. will be a superb cultural ambassador for the United States."

Upon his return, Wallace said he plans to teach in Jamaica and later purse a doctorate in sociology and international education. "I am hopeful that the teaching and research experience I had over the years will help me in being an effective public servant and education strategist in Jamaica."