ATHENS, Ohio (April 27, 2007) -- Three Ohio University seniors have been named U.S. Student Fulbright Scholars. Angela Kilbane and Dale Albanese have each been awarded Fulbright English Teaching Assistantships in Indonesia and Taiwan, and Tim Lorek won a Fulbright Research Scholarship to Chile.
Other finalists are awaiting their results, which could arrive any time between now and the end of June.
Kilbane said her interest in Southeast Asia was piqued during a vacation in Bali while studying in Australia her sophomore year. The week she spent there, coupled with a political science course about Southeast Asia, had her hooked.
"It was completely different from anywhere I'd ever been before," she said of Bali, one of about 17,500 Indonesian islands.
Kilbane, who will graduate in June with a degree in political science and certificates in Southeast Asian studies and teaching English as a foreign language, said she expects that her year abroad will help her choose a career path, which she said could include working with a nongovernmental organization in Indonesia or going to law school.
"I think this opportunity will point me in the direction I need to go in," she said.
Sung-Ho Kim, associate professor of political science, taught two of Kilbane's political science classes and describes her as an exceptional student. He said her character and persuasive abilities led him to recommend her for the award.
"She's a first-ranked student," he said. "She is a quietly persuasive, quietly powerful student."
Albanese, a senior majoring in English and international studies, will teach in Taiwan next year. He has experience studying abroad in Shandong, China, and he earned a certificate in teaching English as a foreign language in Ecuador this past summer.
Though he said he is keeping his career options open, and he names international development as a possible future career, he said he enjoys teaching English.
"You see the immediate effects of what you teach," he said. "It's definitely rewarding to see them want to use English in everyday life."
Liang Tao, associate professor of linguistics, got to know Albanese when he was a student in her class. She praised his talent and drive.
"I felt he would be a good representative of people from the United States to be a positive image for the people of Asia," she said.
Lorek, a senior majoring in history and Spanish, will travel to Santiago, Chile, on a Fulbright research scholarship. His project, "Contemporary Change in the Teaching of History," aims at understanding the changes in history education in Chile under different governmental regimes. The research, he said, combines his multiple academic interests.
"I'll be working specifically with some faculty members and others in the area," he said, explaining that he'll be working with the National Library of Chile. "I'm looking to apply my research there to a master's thesis. And use that as a stepping-stone into doing work in the field of Latin American history."
Lorek, who is the regatta chairman of Ohio University's crew team, has a minor in geography and he is pursuing certificates in Latin American studies and environmental studies.
Patrick Barr-Melej, associate professor of history, taught Lorek in an undergraduate tutorial on 20th century Chilean history and supported him throughout the application process.
"Tim's enthusiasm, strong grasp of the Spanish language, unambiguous intent to build a career in academia, his respect for Chile, Chileans, and their history, his contacts in the Chilean academy, and good old fashioned hard work made him stand out," he said.
Winning such competitive and prestigious awards is the academic equivalent of making the Olympic team. Ohio University students compete for some of the most sought-after awards in the country - such as the Truman and the Marshall. In 2005-06 they won 45 nationally competitive honors, including 13 U.S. Student Fulbright grants. The university led the state for the fourth straight year for its number of Fulbright grantees and is ranked nationally among institutions such as Princeton University and Boston College.
