GENESEO, N.Y. — A SUNY Geneseo graduating senior and a recent alumna have been awarded highly competitive U.S. Student Fulbright Scholarships for 2016-17 to participate in the English Teaching Assistant (ETA) Program.
Janna Babad, a senior from Bellarose, N.Y., and alumna Anna Sophia Katomski ’15, a Care Navigator at the Institute for Family Health in New York City, will be serving in Malaysia and Indonesia, respectively, where they will provide assistance to local English teachers, complete projects of their own and serve as cultural ambassadors for the United States. The age and academic level of the students they will be teaching varies by country, ranging from kindergarten to university level.
“I applied to the program not only to teach Malaysian students but also to learn from those students and community members, hoping to take these experiences back home and with me during my future travels,” said Babad, a double major in international relations and sociology, who had a study abroad experience in the Netherlands while at Geneseo. “Working and doing service internationally has always been a dream of mine and I hope that this incredible opportunity will give me the tools I need to succeed in my future career.”
After graduation, Katomski served as an English Teaching Assistant for 7th – 11th grade students in a public school in Ancud, Chile, for the Chilean Ministry of Education. She was a double major in psychology and Spanish with a minor in Latin American Studies and spent one semester in a study abroad program in Cordoba, Argentina.
“Receiving this award has been one of the highlights of my academic and professional career,” said Katomski. “My grant entails teaching English in addition to executing a community health based project, directed at improving health incomes via sports and dance education in my placement community. I am truly honored to serve as a cultural ambassador to the United States while overseas. My time at Geneseo provided me with the perfect context to pursue my passion for international cultural exchange.”
Fulbright winners meet, work, live with and learn from the people of the host country, sharing daily experiences. The program is open to graduating seniors and recent bachelor's degree recipients.
"Geneseo has a long tradition of its students incorporating international experiences into their educations so it is hardly surprising that the college has had success with the Fulbright U.S. Student program over the years,” said Michael Mills, director of national fellowships and scholarships at Geneseo. “The Fulbright is the pre-eminent 'gap year' program nationwide and offers unique and truly life-changing opportunities for the winners. The variety of programs offered for ETAs, research and travel grants, graduate and doctoral level education, and language study increases each year."
Fulbrights are among the most competitive grants or scholarships in the country, conferred through the Fulbright Program, the U.S. government’s flagship international exchange program, designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and people of other countries. The program was established in 1946 under legislation introduced by U.S. Sen. William Fulbright of Arkansas. The awards are granted only to students who have completed their undergraduate degrees. The U.S. Student Program is designed to give recent B.S./B.A. graduates, master's and doctoral candidates, and young professionals, artists and musicians opportunities for personal development and international experience.
In all, 14 Geneseo students have won Fulbright awards since 1985. In 2015, three Geneseo students also won ETAs: John Carlson, a psychology major and philosophy minor who graduated summa cum laude in May 2013 and is serving in Poland; Becca Miller from Fabius, N.Y., a English literature major with minors in French and Black Studies and also an Edgar Fellow, who is spending this year in Senegal; and Hannah Pruch from Bolivar, N.Y., an English literature major, who is serving in Turkey.
Well over 300,000 Fulbrighters, approximately 130,000 from the United States and 200,000 from other countries, have participated in the program since its inception 70 years ago. The Fulbright Program awards about 1,900 new grants annually.
For more information about applying to the Fulbright Scholarship Program, contact Dr. Michael Mills, Director of National Fellowship and Scholarships (millsm@geneseo.edu). The deadline for applications for the 2017-2018 Fulbright competition is October 11, 2016, with an on-campus deadline of September 12. A Fulbright and other post-baccalaureate scholarships and fellowships workshop is scheduled May 3, 2016, in the Hunt Room of the MacVittie Student Union Building at 4 p.m.
Photo: Janna Babad won U.S. Student Fulbright Awards for 2016-17 in the English Teaching Assistant Program.
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