Ian Wright ’14 and Britney Kravish ’14 both earn Fulbright ETA appointments

Two graduating seniors who were previously alternates for Fulbright English Teaching Assistantships (ETA) learned that they have been awarded Fulbright awards for the coming year. Ian Wright ’14 of New Lenox, IL, and Britney Kravish ’14 of Frankfort, IL, join Mark Zajac ’12 as 2014-2015 Fulbright ETA scholarship winners. They will receive a fully funded one-year appointment abroad as cultural ambassadors and English teachers. Wright and Zajac will go to Germany, while Kravish will travel to Mexico.

“This is the first time in College history that our students have earned three Fulbrights in a single year,” says Perry Hamalis, Cecelia Schneller Mueller Professor of Religion, associate professor of religion and director of the College Honors Programs. “It is an accomplishment made possible by our faculty mentoring high-achieving students and our strong study abroad, foreign language, and undergraduate research offerings.” 

Wright (left), a double major in global studies and studio art, studied abroad in Berlin and learned German. “I applied for a Fulbright to connect with the German community and promote cultural understanding,” he says. “I am looking forward to engaging students and being a language resource for English language learners as an assistant to an English teacher in a German classroom.”

Wright also plans to conduct research to understand how Germans relate to their landscape and how that impacts their identity—a study similar to research he conducted in Iceland that formed the basis for his College Scholar Honors thesis.   

Kravish (right), a Spanish major with minors in secondary education and English Language Learning (ELL), wants to become a high school Spanish teacher in the future. “My passion and love for language and culture really sparked in high school and continued to grow through college,” she says.

Kravish studied abroad in Costa Rica and also participated in a service trip to Honduras.“After these experiences, I began to focus on the social issues of these cultures, aiming to dispel common stereotypes. My teaching experiences with ELL students also gave me a new perspective in the challenging process of learning a new language and a new culture.”

Plans are in place to begin preparing students to apply for 2015-2016 positions. A previous North Central Fulbright ETA, Parker Gadbois ’09, will visit campus at 4 p.m., Wednesday, May 7th. in the Rall House, 329. S. Brainard St. He will share his experiences as an ETA in Taiwan and answer questions.

North Central's Fulbright Winners:

• 2014: Britney Kravish, Ian Wright, Mark Zajac
• 2012: Hemma Mistry
• 2010: Parker Gadbois
• 2009: Claudia Chlebek
• 2004: Rose Raymond
• 1996: Jamison Steinke
• 1994: Janet Bernhardy