VCU news

By Mike Porter

Six recent graduates of Virginia Commonwealth University received notification that they have been awarded Fulbright U.S. Student Program scholarships to travel abroad during the 2012-13 academic year.  

Since 2006, VCU students and recent alumni have earned 23 Fulbright Scholarships. That includes a combined 17 VCU recipients over the past three years. Established in 1946, the Fulbright Program aims to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and other countries, through the exchange of persons, knowledge and skills.

 “We put a great deal of emphasis on student success here at VCU, and these six scholars are the living embodiment of that vision,” said Beverly Warren, Ph.D., Ed.D., provost and vice president for academic affairs at VCU. “I could not be more proud of their accomplishments and know that the opportunities the Fulbright provides will be an incomparable and, I hope, life-changing experience.”

Julie Charbonnier, a native of Paris, France, who grew up in Philadelphia, received a master’s degree in biology from VCU this spring. Charbonnier will collaborate with a Spanish scientist to investigate the ecological consequences of climate change on amphibians in Southern Spain, one of the most susceptible regions in the world to climate change. She also will partner with Asociación Herpetológica Española and local schools to increase awareness of amphibian conservation. Charbonnier will return to VCU to pursue her Ph.D. in integrative life sciences following her Fulbright experience.

Cole Cridlin, who is from King William, Va., graduated from VCU in 2011 with bachelor’s degrees in English, French and gender, sexuality and women’s studies. Cridlin will teach English in the suburbs of Paris at the Lycée Evariste Galois a Sartrouville, an upper-level secondary school that prepares students for the baccalauréat degree required for admission to French universities. He also will hone his French language skills through coursework at the Alliance Française and study French Theory. In addition, he plans to volunteer with local organizations and activist groups, such as the Centre LGBT de Paris et Île de France.
 
Tschuna Gibson, who is from Midlothian, Va., graduated from VCU in May with bachelor’s degrees in international studies and philosophy. Gibson will serve as a teaching assistant for high school-aged students while attending courses at the University of Vienna. She also will pursue research into the ways that Austrians have come to understand responsible resource management and biodiversity as a prerequisite to a high quality of life. The research builds on a previous internship in Austria in which Gibson gained insight into organic farming and sustainable food production in the country.   

Joel Kabot, who is from Manlius, N.Y., a suburb of Syracuse, graduated this year from VCU's master of fine arts program in creative writing. He will travel to Ukraine to conduct the background research necessary to complete his novel, in which the young American protagonist journeys to Ukraine, where he has ancestral ties, after experiencing personal and professional setbacks. Kabot will explore regional identity in Ukraine, focusing primarily on the cultural legacy of the former Austro-Hungarian province of Galicia, the eastern half of which is now western Ukraine. His affiliation with the Ivan Franko National University in Lviv will provide a base for archival research and local interviews.  

Kunal Kapoor, who is from Suffolk, Va., graduated from VCU in May with a bachelor’s degree in religious studies with a concentration in pre-medicine. Kapoor will study for a master of science degree in medical anthropology from Durham University in the United Kingdom during his Fulbright stint. He will research how religious and cultural influences affect perceptions of the heart in the context of the overall body and examine whether those views influence treatment for heart disease.

Catherine Porter, who is from Carrsville, Va., graduated from VCU in 2007 with bachelor’s degrees in history and international studies. She is currently a Ph.D. student at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. Porter will travel to the Democratic Republic of Congo to interview residents about the Katangan secession that occurred in the country in the early 1960s following Congo’s independence from Belgium. In particular, she will study the development of Katangan nationalism and identity as a foundational element for the Katangan secession.

Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, the Fulbright Program provides funding for students, scholars and professionals to undertake graduate study, advanced research, university teaching and teaching in elementary and secondary schools. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is administered by the Institute of International Education.

All six students received degrees from the College of Humanities & Sciences, and Cridlin, Gibson, Kapoor and Porter also are graduates of VCU’s Honors College.  All six Fulbright recipients applied for the Fulbright through the National Scholarship Office (NSO), which is based in The Honors College.  The NSO assists VCU students and alumni who wish to compete for prestigious national and international scholarships. For more information, visit http://www.honors.vcu.edu/nationalscholar/index.html.