Nine Wake Forest students win Fulbright scholarships

Eight Wake Forest University seniors and one graduate student have been awarded Fulbright Scholarships for 2008-2009. Each student will spend one year studying, researching or teaching abroad.

Senior recipients:

Erica Demarest of Dover, N.J., will teach English in Germany.

Francis Jones of Narberth, Pa., will teach English in Korea.

Joseph Mauro of Falls Church, Va., will teach English in Hong Kong.

David Nix of Jacksonville, Fla., will study architecture and culture in Japan.

Caitlin Patrick of Lake Forest, Ill., will teach English in Indonesia.

William Rothwell of Charlotte will do research in biochemistry in Australia.

David Schoen of Birmingham, Ala., will teach English in Germany.

Kristen Shepherd of West Friendship, Md., will teach English in Spain.

Graduate student recipient:

Parissa Jahromi of Baltimore, Md., will research cross-cultural psychology in the Netherlands.

Established in 1946, the Fulbright Program is an international education exchange program sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State. Operating in more than 155 countries worldwide, the program is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and people of other countries. Last year, more than 1,200 Americans studied abroad with either full or partial support from the Fulbright Program.

Fulbright recipients design their own programs of study, which can include

university coursework, library or field research, classes in an art or music school, independent projects in social or life sciences, teaching assistantships in English or a combination of these or other projects.

Thirty-eight Wake Forest students have received Fulbright Scholarships since 1993.

“We are extremely proud of each of these recipients,” said Tom Phillips, director of the Wake Forest Scholars program. “Each year the number of our Fulbright scholars increases. It is a testament to the quality of students we have at Wake Forest, the attention given them by our faculty Fulbright committee, the foreign language training they receive, and the continuing interest among them in international studies programs.”