Maryclare Flores '14 to Teach in Mexico as DePauw's 10th Fulbright Winner of the Year
August 23, 2016
Maryclare Flores, a 2014 graduate of DePauw University, will spend the upcoming academic year teaching English in Mexico after being awarded an English Teaching Assistantship (ETA) from the Fulbright U.S. Student Program.
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and established in 1946, the Fulbright U.S. Student Program competition aims to increase mutual understanding among nations through educational and cultural exchange while serving as a catalyst for long-term leadership development.
Today's announcement brings to 10 the number of members of DePauw community who have received Fulbright awards for the 2016-17 academic year. Madeline N. Hawk '16 and Hattie E. Blair '16 will both teach English in South Korea. Justin Agrelo '13 will use an ETA to teach English in Argentina, Shelby (Beasley) Guzzetta '14 will teach English in Poland, Xeno E. Carpenter-New '16 will work in a classroom in Macedonia and Jacob T. Hebbe '16 will teach in 
Macedonia. Scott P. Lockwood '16 will use a Fulbright U.S. Student scholarship for a research project in New Zealand, "Methane Production and Consumption in Marine Microorganisms."
Josiah Q. Rushing, a 2013 graduate of DePauw and now a graduate student at the University of Cincinnati/Percussion Group Cincinnati, will travel to France to study with renowned percussionist Jean Geoffroy at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Lyon (CNSMD). Eugene Gloria, professor of English, has received a Fulbright Lectureship Award and will be hosted in spring 2017 by Center for Creative Writing and Literary Studies at The Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, The Catholic University of the Philippines (UST).
"I am confident in my abilities to teach English as a native speaker and trained educator," Flores wrote in her Fulbright application. Her father is a native of Mexico and she has been certified 
to Teach English as a Foreign Language. She points out, "Access to language learning is restricted to those who are privileged enough to afford it. I would love to contribute my skills to an under-served community so that even more opportunities are within grasp for young people, especially in education. I am confident that my level of Spanish will aid me in enhancing existing programs or creating my own."
Flores, who earned an interdisciplinary degree in youth and social justice, was a Holton Scholar at DePauw. She served six months with Americorps in Chicago's Schurz High School and was active in DePauw's Compton Center for Peace and Justice.
"I want to learn about my culture, provide opportunities, and use my experiences in Mexico to contribute to Latinos in the U.S.," she wrote. Hoping to earn a master's degree in urban education following her experience in Mexico, Flores states, "I want to use my improved Spanish to communicate with my students and their families, who often tend to be from Latino backgrounds, and explore the lifestyles of recent immigrant families in order to improve their educational experiences."
The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government. The primary source of funding for the Fulbright Program is an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress
to the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Participating governments, host institutions, corporations, and foundations in foreign countries and in the United States also provide direct and indirect support. Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields. The Program operates in over 160 countries worldwide.
The Fulbright Program awards approximately 8,000 grants annually. More than 360,000 individuals have participated in the program since its inception.
Learn more here.
DePauw University is listed among the "Top Producers of Fulbright Awards for U.S. Students, 2015-16" in the Chronicle of Higher Education. DePauw has been cited as one of the USA's top producers of Fulbright Fellows five consecutive times and in nine of the last 10 years.
See the names of DePauw's Fulbright recipients here or visit the University's Fulbright page.
DePauw students and alumni who are interested in applying for Fulbright Awards may contact Jason D. Fuller, associate professor and chair of religious studies and director of the Asian studies program, or Kate Knaul, assistant dean of experiential learning and director of national fellowships and awards.
DePauw University ranks #4 among the nation's baccalaureate institutions in the number of students who studied abroad in 2013-14, according to the 2015 Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange. Read more here.
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