AZUSA, Calif. — Each year, thousands of students from across the U.S. apply for a Fulbright Scholarship to travel abroad and teach or conduct research in another country. However, only about 1,500 individuals receive this prestigious award, and this year that included recent Azusa Pacific University graduate Katherine Scroggs.
A Highlands Ranch, Colo. resident, Scroggs graduated from APU in December 2010 with a B.A. in English with a double concentration in teaching and literature. Through Fulbright, she will spend 10 months in Malaysia to teach English.
“I have a passion for education and I really hope that the grant affords me opportunities to plant seeds in the Malay students,” said Scroggs, “I also hope that after my experience I can be more informed about other people and share stories with others that can help inspire and encourage them.”
Along with 2011 Fulbright recipients Benjamin Berk and Brian Kraft, Scroggs joins 15 APU alumni who have studied and taught with a Fulbright Grant in Turkey, Bangladesh, Belgium, China, Indonesia, Korea, Macau, Romania, Slovakia, and Tunisia. This valuable experience has a great impact on the participants.
“We are pleased to have two Fulbright recipients for this next academic year,” said Diane Guido, Ph.D., vice provost for undergraduate programs. “Katie and Benjamin represent a continued tradition of APU students who have been successful in this highly competitive national endeavor. Teaching abroad for a year through the Fulbright Program enables them to experience life in another country at a level that will deeply impact them and their students for many years to come. They are both superb examples of the combination of top-notch academics and meaningful service that is a hallmark of APU.”
The Fulbright Program is an international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to “increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.” The Fulbright Program has provided almost 300,000 participants—chosen for their academic merit and leadership potential — with the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.
