Fulbright wins
Already this spring, four Wheaton seniors have been honored with Fulbright Scholarships, and five more students have received other prestigious awards.
The latest announcements come just over a month after Wheaton was recognized for its efforts to prepare students to win U.S. Fulbrights—an honor the college has received for 11 consecutive years.
Operated through the U.S. Department of State, the Fulbright Program provides grants for recent graduates, graduate students and young professionals to conduct independent study or research abroad or to engage in English Teaching Assistantships at more than 65 locations around the world.
Wheaton’s 2016 recipients include:
Kristen Anderson ’16, a double major in education and English, has received an English Teaching Assistantship to teach in Turkey. As an undergraduate, she spent a semester abroad in Italy and worked as an English and writing tutor. She is planning a career teaching English as a second language.
Nataja Flood ’16, who is majoring in education, English and African, African American, diaspora studies, has received an English Teaching Assistantship to teach in Greece. A Posse Scholar, Flood has held a number of leadership positions on campus, serving as class representative on the Student Government Association and as president of Class Council, the iSpeak Poetry Club and Renaissance House. She has studied abroad in the United Kingdom and in South Africa, and received a summer fellowship to teach high school students at Robert College in Turkey. She also was recently honored with the Martin Luther King Jr. Legacy Award at Wheaton’s inaugural MLK Legacy Celebration. She is interested in a career in education.
Kathryn Hegarty ’16, a double major in biology and Hispanic studies, received a Fulbright Research Grant to study green and hawksbill sea turtle nesting preferences on Redang Island, Malaysia. A May Fellow and Balfour Scholar, Hegarty has conducted previous turtle research on Cape Cod, where she observed the local terrapin population. She has previously studied abroad in Italy and Spain. Hegarty plans to pursue a master’s and Ph.D. in marine biology with a specialization in herpetology and to continue her work with turtle conservation
Elisabeth Hodge ’16, who is majoring in dance, education and mathematics, received an English Teaching Assistantship to teach in Malaysia. A Davis International Fellow, Hodge served as program director for an English education program in Mauritius after volunteering there the previous summer as a teacher. She also spent a semester studying abroad in New Zealand. On campus, she has served as a tour guide and ambassador coordinator in the Office of Admission and as co-captain of the Wheaton College Dance Company and teaching assistant to Cheryl Mrozowski, professor and director of dance. She is interested in a career in education.
Wheaton students have won 96 Fulbright awards since 2000 and more than 200 prestigious national awards overall, such as Rhodes, Marshall and Truman scholarships.
In addition to Fulbrights, Wheaton students have received the following awards this spring: Kelvin Kweku Ampem-Darko ’17, Humanity in Action Fellowship; Kylie Brewer ’16, French Government Teaching Assistantship; Aubrey Dubois ’17, Beinecke Scholarship; Javon Mullings ’16, Watson Fellowship; and Rebecca Rosenzweig ’19, Projects for Peace Grant.