Spelman Fulbright Fellows

Chosen for their leadership potential, Fulbright fellows are given the opportunity to study, teach, or conduct research in other countries, and develop international competence and cross-cultural expertise.

Clarissa Davis, Sydney Taylor, Erin Williams, and Brittany Nash will teach English overseas during the 2008-2009 academic year thanks to the Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship Program.

Clarissa Davis will be an English teacher assistant in the Tennugru Providence of Malaysia for the next year, where she will also conduct research on mental health and Islam. Upon completion of her Fulbright assignment, Davis will pursue a Masters Degree in African American/African studies and thereafter a jurist doctorate.

Davis says, “I’m interested in alleviating poverty, improving education and fostering human rights for all.” Future plans include becoming a civil rights attorney. Davis hopes that by going to Malaysia, she “will be able to observe how a country so diverse in culture is able to maintain peace and equality. With that knowledge I want to be instrumental in reformation in the U.S. and throughout the African Diaspora.”

Sydney Taylor will spend the next year teaching English to secondary school children in metropolitan Madrid, Spain, as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant. During her time at Spelman, Taylor studied abroad in Barcelona, Spain, with the Institute for the International Education of Students.

Taylor hopes to gain teaching skill that will serve her well in her future endeavors. “I would like to develop my own program,” she explaines, “to help inner city American students possess the capabilities to learn multiple languages at a young age so they may prepare themselves early for the competitive world job market.” Upon her return from Madrid, Taylor will begin work on her Masters Degree in International Affairs and a Ph.D. in Political Science. Taylor plans to teach at a historically black college or university so she can “encourage African American students to expand their minds to be global citizens, and facilitate greater understanding…and greater global tolerance.”

Erin Williams, a Biology major from Vancouver, Washington, will travel to South Korea as an English Teaching Assistant and 2008-09 Fulbright fellow. Williams wants to academically enrich the lives of her South Korean students and encourage them to become globally conscious. She also plans to research the effects of globalization on the citizens of South Korea, primarily women, examining what informs their ideal of beauty.

Williams believes that her interest in and study of the development of language skills, cultural studies and international health will be of great service in achieving her career goals. She explaines, “I want to become a general practice physician and I believe that a good physician is able to connect with their patients, regardless of sex, class, ethnicity and heritage. Physicians are not only healers, but teachers as well; they are given the task of educating their patients about their bodies.” Upon returning from her Fulbright experience, Williams will pursue her M.D./M.P.H. (Masters in Public Health), on her way to owning her own medical practice.

Brittany Nash will live in Yilan County, Taiwan, for 11 months as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant. While in Taiwan, Nash, who will receive a Bachelor of Arts in History from Spelman, will continue her study of East Asian history and Mandarin languages. She will also study and participate in the environmental movements in Taipei and Yilan county, and explore how religion affects the peoples understanding and reverence of the environment.

“I hope to find ways to integrate a better appreciation of the environment into the United States’ educational system,” she expressed. Nash is graduating Spelman with Cum Laude and departmental honors for her thesis titled “Modernization and Class Suicide: The End of Japan’s Samurai Class.” A member of the Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society and Golden Key Honor Society, Nash will participate in Teach For America in 2009, after which she will pursue a M.A./J.D. dual degree. Nash wants to become an educator who “enhances the knowledge of East Asia in the 21st Century among students in the United States.”

Meet Spelman College's Fulbright Winners

2007-2008
Leana Cabral, Chile
Chantal James, Morocco
Brittny Ray, Thailand
Niambi Young, Egypt

2006-2007
Robinette Downtin, Morocco
Dionne Griffiths, Trinidad and Tobago
Juliana Montgomery, Czech Republic
Cara Grayer Johnson, Argentina
Sarah Thompson, Argentina

2005-2006
Danielle Pritchett, Dominican Republic

1999
Asha Williams McCauley, Germany

Get Advice about Applying for the
Fulbright Program from Dionne Griffiths,
2006-2007 Scholar, Trinidad and Tobago

Read Dr. Margery A. Ganz' article,
"Spelman College's Very Good Year"

Established in 1946, the Fulbright U.S. Student Program offers approximately 1,300 annual fellowships to recent bachelor's, master's and doctoral students, young professionals, and artists for graduate study, advanced research, university teaching, and teaching in elementary, and secondary schools.

For more information, visit: http://www.fulbrightonline.org