A record number of Calvin students awarded Fulbright Scholarships

A record number of students at Calvin College have been
awarded prestigious Fulbright Scholarships from the Institute of International
Education in 2012. Emily Pope, Lauren Manck and Ryan DeVries, now graduates,
were awarded the scholarships, which are funded by the U.S. Department of State
to foster international research and collaboration.

 
"Having three students win Fulbrights in a single year will
put Calvin in select company among liberal arts colleges across the country," said history professor Bruce Berglund, the administrator of Calvin's student
Fulbright program. "The awards that Emily, Lauren, and Ryan won this year, as
well as those won by other students in recent years, are a testament to the
quality of international programs at the college--both the foreign-language and
content courses available here at Calvin and the off-campus programs."

 
Berglund emphasized that all three students took full
advantage of the international opportunities available at Calvin and in
partnership with other organizations.

Manck '12 (Fort Wayne, Ind.), a chemistry major, will study
seagrasses at the University of Cadiz in Cadiz, Spain via her Fulbright. The
2012 Goldwater Scholar first researched at the University of Cadiz last summer
through the National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experience for
Undergraduates Program. Following her Fulbright, she will use yet another NSF
grant to study chemical oceanography at the Scripp's Institute of Oceanography
at the University of California, San Diego.

Pope '12 (Springfield, Pa.), a philosophy and
interdisciplinary double major will spend a year in Turkey, teaching English
and learning the Turkish language. Pope's passion for the Middle East was
fostered by trips to Egypt, Syria, Israel, Turkey and Jordan--including a stint
excavating the ancient city of Umm-el Jimmal with Calvin history professor Bert
de Vries.

DeVries '12 (Muskegon, Mich.), an international relations
and Chinese double major will leave this fall for a year in Kaohsiung, Taiwan
to teach English in an ESL classroom. His interest in Asian culture blossomed
during DeVries' time at Calvin, when he traveled to Japan and participated in
Calvin's semester program at Capital Normal University in Beijing, China.

"I feel blessed and privileged to have this opportunity," said DeVries "but I don't think I earned this honor through anything I did
really, but more through the activities available here at Calvin and the
supporting people that have helped me along the way."

Since 2005, eight Calvin students have been awarded
Fulbright Scholarships, studying in countries such as Jordan, Peru, Germany and
China. Several Calvin faculty members have also received Fulbright awards,
allowing them to conduct research and teach in such places as Kenya, Hong Kong,
Zambia, Iceland and the Netherlands, just to name a few.

Berglund says that the success of Calvin students and faculty
in getting Fulbright awards is evidence of the college's international focus. "Students
like Lauren, Emily, and Ryan are representative of many Calvin students who see
their language classes and off-campus semesters as preparation for engagement
in the broader world. I'm amazed at the places my students have gone," said
Berglund, who has had Fulbright awards as both a student and a faculty member.

And Calvin continues its expansion of off-campus programming
for students, offering both short-term study abroad and semester-long programs
on six continents. According to the 2011 Open Doors Report published by the
Institute of International Education, Calvin College ranks second nationally
among all baccalaureate institutions for the total number of students who
participate in a short-term study abroad. In 2009-2010, Calvin had 597 students
studying abroad.

For more information on the Fulbright Scholarships, contact
Bruce Berglund at 616-526-6194 or brb6@calvin.edu

-end-

Matt Kucinski
Media Relations Manager
Calvin College
msk23@calvin.edu
616.526.8935 (office)
616.307.7429 (cell)
Received on Fri Jul 6 07:03:28 2012