Avery Edwards awarded Fulbright Teaching Assistantship

The U.S. Department of State funds the Fulbright program, which was established in 1946 by the U.S. Congress to “enable the government of the United States to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.” Senator J. William Fulbright, after whom the award is named, promoted the program as a way of fostering appreciation of intercultural viewpoints and beliefs, through direct interaction on an individual basis in the classroom, field, home, and in daily tasks.

Avery Edwards
German Education ‘08

TTU Honors Scholar and German Education graduate Avery Edwards assisted teachers in Germany during the 2008-2009 school year as a recipient of a nationally competitive Fulbright Teaching Assistantship.

Edwards is one of 140 U.S. citizens selected for this assignment by the Fulbright Program, which offers opportunities for students, scholars, and professionals to undertake international graduate study, advanced research, university teaching, and teaching in elementary and secondary schools worldwide.

“We have many Tech professors who have participated in the Fulbright Program,” said Barnard, “but Ms. Edwards is the first student Fulbrighter we’ve had in a long time.”

The first since 1979, according to TTU professor of German Philip Campana. “Avery will do an outstanding job as a Fulbright Teaching Assistant. We are all very proud of her accomplishments,” he said.

Edwards, a member of the German Club and the University Honors Program, has also been an active community service volunteer. She competed with a field of candidates from across the country who have been recognized for the strength of their commitment to international understanding. In most cases, nominees must demonstrate sufficient knowledge of the language and culture of the country of assignment.

”I was able to clarify a lot of my own values in the process,” Edwards said of the rigorous Fulbright application. She believes that she was prepared at Tech by “class[es] that encouraged self-reflection,” especially through writing in both German and English literature courses. As an Honors Program Scholar, she said she gained confidence by “working with mentors and presenting my ideas at conferences and in classes.”

After her Fulbright year, she plans graduate work in education, German, or psychology. “I want to be a teacher for at least part of my career.”

(Summer 2009)