Continuing Boise State’s tradition of being a top producer of Fulbright Scholars, two Boise State alumnae have been awarded Fulbright grants this year.
Kimberly Ruesch, (BA, English, ‘15) was awarded an English teaching assistant grant in Colombia and Connor Sheldon (BS, health science studies, ‘14) was awarded an English teaching assistant grant in Malaysia. Sheldon also is currently pursuing an MBA through the career track program in the College of Business and Economics.
Sheldon will head to Malaysia in January 2017 and said her experiences as a tutor, workshop and summer camp facilitator, and youth running coach have prepared her for the unique requirements of the position in Malaysia.
“Through my educational background in health and current focus on sustainability I want to live and learn in a community confronting water pollution problems such as those Malaysia is experiencing in order to develop tangible solutions to address some of the world’s most pressing issues,” she said.
Ruesch will leave for Columbia in July of this year where she will teach English at the University of Cordoba in Monteria and will be volunteering with a Colombian activist organization that works to protect the rights of indigenous cultures.
“I will be working on a project to reach out to some of Colombia’s many indigenous communities and create connections within the broader community through classes to share their culture and traditions with Colombian society more broadly,” Ruesch said.
Pei-Lin Yu, assistant professor of anthropology, also was awarded a Fulbright award this year. She will travel to Taiwan in December to study indigenous agricultural crops and techniques.