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For Immediate Release
May 1 , 2006
wesleyan students win prestigious fulbright scholarships
LINCOLN, Neb.— Two Nebraska Wesleyan University students have been awarded Fulbright scholarships to study overseas next year.
Mark Buckner of Lincoln and Robyn Merkel of Alliance were each awarded the prestigious Fulbright Scholarship, which is the United States’ flagship program for international education exchange. Only 800 American students and professors are selected to study abroad and conduct research in a variety of academic fields.
Buckner will study in Germany where he will teach high school English.
“I have really enjoyed every German professor and teacher that I’ve had since high school,” said Bucker, a Lincoln High School graduate. “I hope to have the same influence on my students.”
Merkel will spend a year in the Ukraine where she will take language classes in Kiev. In addition, she will further a research project which she started her junior year at Wesleyan. The project explores the relationship between aid and democratization.
“I have been studying the democratization process of the former Soviet Union for a couple of years and I am just excited to finally be able to put my proposed research into action,” she said.
Merkel is a 2005 graduate of Nebraska Wesleyan and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in political science and history at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She plans to pursue a doctorate in history and eventually work for a government agency or become a college professor.
A third Nebraska Wesleyan student has been named a Fulbright Scholarship alternate.
Since 1997, 15 Nebraska Wesleyan University students have been awarded Fulbright scholarships.
The Fulbright announcements add to Nebraska Wesleyan’s recent list of prestigious honors won by its students including a Rhodes Scholarship, the nation’s top academic honor; a Harry S. Truman Scholarship, awarded to 75 top college students nationwide, and a USA Today All-USA College Academic First-Team honoree.
Other Student Success News:
Senior Cody Olander and Junior Brent Ruth have each been awarded a Critical Language Scholarship from the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the Council of American Overseas Research Centers. Olander will study Arabic in Amman, Jordan, June 16-August 12. He was one of 30 undergraduate and graduate students selected nationally for the honor. Ruth will study Turkish in Istanbul, Turkey, June 16-August 11. He was one of 15 undergraduate and graduate students selected nationally for the honor.
Junior Haley Capek earned top honors in late April at the West Coast Biological Sciences Undergraduate Research Conference in San Diego, California. She presented the top oral presentation in the molecular biology category. She competed against top undergraduate science students from across the country.
Junior Icy Simpson has been selected for the American Institute of Musical Studies, the leading European summer vocal program in Graz, Austria. She will attend the program July 4-August 2.
Senior Cory Mero has been selected to present a paper at the 2005 Society for Indian Philosophy and Religion International Conference in Calcutta, India. He was one of 20 Americans selected to present at the conference, July 27-30.
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