Chapman university students, alumna awarded Fulbright grants

Two current Chapman University students and one alumna have been awarded Fulbright U.S. Student Program grants for the 2015-2016 academic year.

Nimah Gobir
, ’15, B.A.
Peace Studies
and
Studio Art
, has been awarded a Fulbright U.S. Student Program grant to India. While in India she plans to assist at a women’s health services organization and help promote free education to children. When she returns to the United States,  she will apply to George Washington University’s Art Therapy graduate program that offers internships in India and South Africa. Gobir’s career goal  is to serve as a culturally responsive art therapist in areas such as India and South Africa.

“As an English teaching assistant in India, I intend to work alongside education initiatives such as their Right to Education Act, which advocates for free education for children between the ages 6 and 14, while implementing creative activities that augment my students’ learning,” Gobir said. “Working with the master teacher’s curriculum, I would like to focus on engaging students in a holistic creative process spanning from creating curriculum-relevant artwork to presenting their art to peers, thus fostering English skills and enhancing students’ ability to communicate about topics they feel are important.”

Megan McKeown
, ’15, B.A.
Peace Studies
,  has spent the last four months in Amman, Jordan,  where she has been studying the regions educational curriculum. McKeown said Jordan is considered to have one of the best educational systems in the Middle East. McKeown wants to pursue graduate studies in education policy and peace building initiatives.

“I applied to the Fulbright in Jordan to teach in this system and further understand how the Jordanian curricula and philosophy of education translate into pedagogical practice,” McKeown said. “I hope to gain experience in teaching, as well as acquire valuable insight into the best avenues for creating educational systems that justly deal with the formidable issues experienced around the world today. I hope to learn more about Jordanian culture and continue to re-evaluate and share a different perspective on many negative stereotypes that surround the Middle East region.”

Alumna Tiana Silva
, ’13 B.A.
Political Science
and
Peace Studies
, will use her grant to travel to Taiwan were she will be working full time as an English Teaching Assistant. Silva has been working for Teach for American in San Antonio, Texas, for three years. She plans on continuing her career as an international educator.

“I’ve always had a passion for education and a deep respect for the teaching profession, so I wanted to pursue a career in education policy after leaving Chapman,” Silva said. “Since I love politics and international relations, I try to make sure that my students are aware of what is going on in the world and so we start every class period by watching a video of news headlines and then having a group discussion about what we saw.”

The
Fulbright Program
was established in 1946 by the late U.S. Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas, and has given approximately 360,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists and scientists the opportunity to try and find solutions to shared international concerns.

Fulbright recipients are a part of more than 50,000 individuals who participate in U.S. Department of State exchange programs each year. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is administered by the Institute of International Education.

The Fulbright Program is the flagship 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 primary source of funding for the Fulbright Program is an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations and foundations in foreign countries and in the United States also provide direct and indirect support. Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields. The Fulbright program operates in more than 160 countries worldwide.