Eleven Clark University graduate and undergraduate students received funding from the Fulbright U.S. Student Program and other competitive programs for teaching assistantships, research and study abroad.
“The fact that 11 of our students have received such highly competitive and prestigious awards in nine different countries on four continents speaks to the global reach and reputation that Clark enjoys. I couldn’t be happier for them,” said Michael Butler, an associate professor of political science who serves as Clark’s Fulbright program adviser.
“We at Clark are proud to have such a large and outstanding cohort of Fulbright and other award winners this year. The scope of their research projects, teaching assignments and country placements is a testament to the quality of these terrific students and graduates,” said Butler, who was a Fulbright Scholar in 2014-15.
Three receive Fulbright grants for teaching abroad
Three recent graduates received Fulbright grants to fund their teaching abroad for the 2017-18 school year:
- Aviv Hilbig-Bokaer ’17 received a grant from Fulbright Austria to teach English to high school students in Vienna, where he will focus on art and human rights. Hilbig-Bokaer majored in comparative literature and international development and social change. (Read more about Hilbig-Bokaer’s research in Russia last summer.)
- Maia Moore ’16, M.A.T. ’17, received a U.S. Fulbright Teaching Assistantship to teach English in Argentina. Moore also plans to volunteer with children to learn more about mental health care in the South American country. As an undergraduate at Clark, she double-majored in Spanish and psychology.
- Madeline Phillips ’17, M.A.T. ’18, received a U.S. Fulbright Teaching Assistantship to teach English at Friedrich Ludwig John Gymnasium in Greifswald, Germany. Phillips graduated in May with a major in English and a self-designed major in German studies.
David Lukens 
Samantha Lakin 
William Collier
Three PhD candidates receive Fulbright research awards
In addition, the following Clark doctoral students received Fulbright research awards:
- William Collier, a Ph.D. candidate in geography, will conduct research in Kenya for his doctoral dissertation. Serving as visiting researcher and lecturer in environment and resources development at Egerton University in Nakuru, Collier will collaborate with faculty and local non-governmental organizations to better understand the intersections of forest governance and agricultural production. Collier expects to complete his degree in 2018.
- Samantha Lakin, a Ph.D. candidate at the Strassler Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, will travel to Rwanda to do research for her dissertation. She will conduct interviews with local genocide survivors, former perpetrators, and citizens to understand their perspectives on memorial sites, commemorations and justice in the aftermath of genocide. Lakin also received a Boren Fellowship to continue her study of the Kinyarwanda language while in Rwanda. Lakin expects to complete her degree in 2019. (Read more about Lakin’s TEDxFulbright talk in 2015.)
- David Lukens, also a Ph.D. candidate in geography, will conduct research in Seoul, South Korea, for his dissertation titled “Emerging Forms of Urban Renewal: Private Actors and Social Impacts.” Lukens expects to complete his degree this year.
Scot Odell
PhD student receives fellowship for research in Chile
Scott Odell, a doctoral candidate in geography, received an Inter-American Foundation Fellowship to fund his fieldwork on mining and hydrosocial issues in Chile. Odell expects to complete his degree in spring 2019.
Three recent graduates headed to Japan for teaching program
Recent graduates were accepted into the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program, a competitive employment opportunity that allows young professionals to live and work in cities, towns and villages throughout Japan:
- Cassidy To ’17, who majored in Asian studies and psychology.
- Keane Gately ’17, who majored in English and minored in Asian studies.
- Sam Spinner ’17, who majored in Asian studies and political science, with a track in international relations.
Thomas Hutto
U.S. State Department scholarship to fund student’s study in China
Thomas Hutto ’18 received an award from the U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholarship to study Chinese at the National Cheng Kung University in Tainan, Taiwan, this summer. Hutto, an economics major, has studied off and on in China for the last two years with the help of a Gilman Scholarship and a Boren Scholarship. (Read more about Hutto’s studies in China.)
