Kent, Ohio, Resident Receives Fulbright Award to Germany

May 27, 2010 – St. Paul, Minn. – Colin Williams ’10 of Kent, Ohio, has been awarded a Fulbright U.S. Student Program scholarship to Germany.  Williams graduated at Macalester College’s 121st commencement on May 15, 2010.  He is the son of James and Barbara Williams of Tallmadge, Ohio and graduated from Theodore Roosevelt High School in Kent.

Williams, a double major in German Studies and English (Creative Writing), received a Fulbright Teaching Assistantship to Germany.  He’ll be placed in a German high school where he will assist in teaching courses in American Studies, including English language courses.

“Much as immersion in a language is necessary for truly learning it, immersion in teaching is a requirement for understanding the vital interpersonal demands of pedagogy,” said Williams.  “I don’t want to become another stodgy academic.  I want to be a teacher who can adapt to a classroom and help my students live what they’re studying.”

Williams is one of over 1,500 U.S. citizens who will travel abroad for the 2010-2011 academic year through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program.  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 155 countries worldwide.

The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. 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 and host institutions, corporations and foundations in foreign countries and in the United States also provide direct and indirect support.

Since its establishment in 1946 under legislation introduced by the late U.S. Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas, the Fulbright Program has given approximately 300,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists, and scientists the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns. 

2012 Update: Colin is currently living in Bonn, Germany. He renewed his contract for a second year at the comprehensive school in Bornheim, where he worked last year as a Fulbright grantee. In addition to completing some coursework at the University of Bonn, he also had a second job at an English-language preschool. Next year, he plans on returning to the US to complete an MFA in Creative Writing.

Macalester College, founded in 1874, is a national liberal arts college with a full-time enrollment of 1,958 students. Macalester is nationally recognized for its long-standing commitment to academic excellence, internationalism, multiculturalism and civic engagement.