Six Tech students to receive Fulbright scholaships

Sarah Mallory
Communications & Marketing

The J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board has awarded six fellowships to Tech students—the largest number in the school’s history.

John Akin, Carrie Freshour, Josh Krisinger, Micajah McGarity, Jennifer Munson and Kathryn Stucki all received 2009 Fulbright awards as a result of their global competence and compassion.

Named after Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas, the Fulbright Scholarship was established in 1946 as a vehicle for promoting “mutual understanding between the people of the U.S. and the people of other countries of the world.” Fulbright grants are made to United States citizens and nationals of other countries for a variety of educational activities, primarily university lecturing, advanced research, graduate study, and teaching in elementary and secondary schools.

Food crisis research, teaching English in Indonesia

Freshour, a History, Technology and Society major, is preparing to study in Indonesia. Though she will be teaching English, Freshour “was drawn to Indonesia because of PURA [President’s Undergraduate Research Award] research on the food crisis. I have a strong interest in living in a non-Western region of the world, and I found this opportunity in Indonesia to be exciting and challenging.

“I feel extremely honored to win this award. I am very grateful to the challenging professors here at Tech who opened my mind to these types of opportunities. I look forward to experiencing a different culture, and to interacting with a part of the world I would have otherwise not been given the chance,” said Freshour.

Akin, a senior studying economics and international affairs with a minor in Law, Science and Technology, will also teach English in Indonesia. Graduating summa cum laude, he gave much of his undergraduate career at Tech to tutoring other students and undergraduate research.

“Indonesia stood out to me as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Akin, “I am looking forward to this incredible opportunity to learn about a new culture, and I hope that I can have a positive impact on the school I get to work with. I feel very grateful for being able to take part in such a wonderful program.” Akin will begin law school at the University of Virginia when he returns from Indonesia.

Foreign affairs in Germany

Krisinger, an International Affairs and German major, will teach English in Germany—a country he is not entirely unfamiliar with. He recalls, “If my parents hadn’t dragged me around Europe as a kid in the back of our van when we were stationed at a military base in Germany, I probably wouldn’t be speaking German, or be able to list the countless experiences they took me on.”

A former intern at the U.S. Department of State, Krisinger hopes to work with the Peace Corps, the State Department or F.B.I. in the future. He feels the Fulbright is a great step on that path. “It’s great to hear that the State Department and Fulbright Commission believe that I am capable of handling the duties of the award,” he said. “To hear that you have won the same award that Nobel Prize winners and other well known individuals have participated in—it’s definitely a moment you don’t forget.”

Infrastructure repair in Poland

McGarity, an Industrial and Systems Engineering major, will use statistical methods to repair sewer systems in Poland. McGarity made his first trip to Poland at the age of 2 when his father also received a Fulbright to the country. “In my two visits to Poland, as a child and again as a teenager, I was shocked at the improvements [that took place]. As an adult, I no longer wish to be a spectator of these improvements, and hope through the Fulbright I can contribute to and become more a part of Poland.

“As the world’s population grows larger and our cities grow older, solutions from engineers will be needed to address the problems of the future,” McGarity added. “These problems will be global in nature, so I am excited to have the opportunity to apply my education from Georgia Tech to a cross-cultural, real-world problem. Through Fulbright, I hope to build the connections and expertise to help solve an important problem and truly make an impact.”
McGarity plans to pursue a graduate degree in public health and environmental engineering.

Brain tumor research in Switzerland

Munson, a doctoral student studying bioengineering with a focus on nanotherapeutic approaches for treating invasive brain tumors, will conduct research in Switzerland. Munson initially heard about the Fulbright as an undergraduate at Tulane University in New Orleans.

“It’s an amazing opportunity to live and learn in Switzerland during my graduate experience,” said Munson. “I think that it will open doors for me in the future, and I am excited to meet new people and experience new things.”

Economic development in Mexico

Stucki, an Economics and International Affairs and Spanish major, received the Binational Business Award to Mexico. While in Mexico, she will intern at a Mexican company as well as take graduate courses.

“Receiving notification of my award was a dream come true for me because I could not have imagined a better opportunity for my next step after college,” said Stucki, who “spent the past three summers in Mexico City, either studying or working as a teaching assistant, and fell in love with the country and its culture.”

Since the Fulbright Scholarship program was established, the program has had about 280,000 participants ”chosen for their academic merit and leadership potential,” with the opportunity to exchange ideas and to contribute to finding solutions to shared issues.