Fulbright grants are difficult to obtain, as they are extremely competitive. And the School of Communication just received notice that two of its own scholars have been awarded such grants.
Shanna Carlson, debate coach for Illinois State’s Forensics Union
Our very own Shanna Carlson, debate coach for Illinois State’s Forensics Union, has received a Fulbright grant to teach and coach debate in Taiwan in 2021. Additionally, Amina Jinadu, a senior majoring in communication studies and minoring in teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL), has received a Fulbright award to teach English in Turkey in 2021.
“More details about Carlson’s and Jinadu’s Fulbright awards are still coming,” said Dr. Joe Zompetti, professor and Illinois State’s Fulbright Program coordinator, who also mentored them in their applications. “For the time being, Fulbright has delayed the start of the 2020-2021 program year until January 2021. So, for now, we have some clarity about the program’s plans for this cycle. This push-back does not change all programs (some don’t begin until March, for instance) but, for those with fall start dates, we know they will be pushed back.”
Amina Jinadu, a senior majoring in communication studies
The process for Fulbright awards is rigorous, and the competition is high. Awards for only 470 teaching, research, or a combination of the two are given annually in more than 125 countries. At Illinois State, a select group of faculty and administration have earned a Fulbright over the recent years. So being awarded a Fulbright grant of any kind is a great achievement.
