Three recent USC Annenberg graduates have been awarded Fulbright Scholarships for 2008-2009.
Ainsley Breault (B.A. communication, '08), Micah Kawaguchi-Ailetcher (B.A. communication, '08) and Lana Shamma (M.A. public diplomacy, '08) are part of a University-record 15 Fulbright winners this year, with more still possible. The grants are for one year of study and/or research that can be pursued in more than 140 countries.
"It’s a very rigorous competition," said journalism professor Bryce Nelson, who chairs the Provost's Committee on National and International Graduate Fellowships. "The fact that Annenberg had three Fulbrights is a great achievement. It shows increasing international interest and competence of Annenberg students. They have the interests, language skills and international knowledge that are important for earning these scholarships."
Shamma will travel to Jordan to study U.S.-Jordanian relations in public diplomacy. Breault is headed to New Zealand to explore the role of music in maintaining the Maori population at the forefront of New Zealand society. Breault will focus on two major Maori music events and present her results in two 30-minute rockumentary-style digital videos. Kawaguchi-Ailetcher will spend a year in New Zealand exploring the relationship between social activism in Pacific Islander communities and Pacific Islander television in Auckland. She is particularly interested in examining social issues themes in Pacific Islander television shows.
At least 15 USC students have been awarded Fulbright Scholarships for the next academic year, exceeding the prior record of nine USC student Fulbrights set last year. The new record is more than double the number of Fulbrights won by USC students two years ago in 2006.
Established in 1946, the Fulbright Program aims to increase mutual understanding between the peoples of the United States and other countries, through the exchange of persons, knowledge, and skills. The Fulbright Program is sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the United States Department of State.
