Congratulations to Megan E. Miller ’20 and Caroline Russell ’18, who have received “recommended” or “semi-finalist” status in the Fulbright Award process.
Named for J. William Fulbright, the scholarship is the U.S Government’s premier scholarship program. It is designed to foster mutual understanding among nations through educational and cultural exchanges, which provide recipients with tuition, fees, travel and research funds for a full year.
“A ‘recommended’ status (sometimes called a ‘semi-finalist’) means that the applicant has been recommended for a Fulbright award by the Fulbright National Screening Committee,” said Christopher R. Lee, PhD, associate professor of religious studies and theology and director of the Graduate Scholarship Office. “From there, the applications are forwarded to the Fulbright Commission or U.S. Embassy in the host country for final review. The National Screening Committee usually recommends more than 100 percent of the available awards, to allow for alternates.” Final decisions are expected in April 2020.
Lee served as a mentor to Miller and Russell during the application process. “It’s an amazing achievement to be recommended as Fulbright awardees,” he said. “They worked so hard. These two are wonderful examples of what our students can achieve at Canisius.”
Excerpts from Megan Miller’s proposal (Cambodia):
In Cambodia, working with Oliver Griffin of the Wildlife Conservation Society, I will be conducting a behavioral study of southern yellow-cheeked crested gibbons (Nomascus gabriellae) through activity budget analyses at the Jahoo Gibbon Camp located in Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary. In conjunction with these behavioral analyses, I will also travel to villages to learn more about cultural beliefs of the Bunong people who live throughout the Mondulkiri Highlands to construct a more holistic understanding of the role that gibbons play in society.
Beginning in October of 2020 and concluding in August of 2021, I will be actively tracking the troops on foot and collecting data for a minimum of 16-20 days per month. This extensive process will allow for data sufficient for activity budget analyses: collections of behaviors that individuals and troops perform. The extended timeline of data collection will allow me to obtain an accurate and encompassing understanding of behavior through troop and environmental changes.
Excerpts from Caroline Russell’s proposal (Poland):
At the time of my placement in Poland, I will hold both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Special Education. Additionally, I will have two years of experience working in a special education day school, on top of hundreds of hours spent interning in various classrooms. Not only will my understanding of pedagogy prove invaluable should I be granted the Fulbright, but I have also spent 14 weeks immersed in Poland’s culture. The past three summers I have volunteered at a summer camp in southern Poland. The children who attend this camp are either orphans or are in the foster care system. While there, one of my responsibilities was to facilitate English language learning through formal daily lessons.
While in Poland, I want to continue to work with children by seeking out an orphanage or foster care organization. I believe working with two vastly different parts of the social services system in Poland will allow me to learn about the culture in ways a book could never provide. I would also like to connect my university students with the children.
After the Fulbright, I plan to return to the classroom with a newfound understanding of Poland and European relations and history. I will teach my students that America is simply one country in a much larger global fabric. Through this, I will instill in them a passion for learning and a curiosity for the world around them.
Submitted by: College Communications
