The feature includes all three Fulbright grant award recipients from Georgetown College: Collin Smith, Victoria Engelhardt, and me. All three of us are relatively recent alumni of the college. I worked with both of the extremely qualified women whom also received an award at The Georgetonian, our student-run newspaper.Collin will be in Germany during the tenure of her Fulbright grant. Victoria will be in Taiwan.
All of the feature is worth reading but, since this is my blog, I will quote the portion which features me (self-centered, I know):
Jonathan, [like Collin] too, has experienced studying abroad, both in Brazil and England. As an undergraduate, he previously applied for a Fulbright teaching assistantship in Brazil. He says that, while he received a “recommendation,” there was “no final offer.”
But he was encouraged to try again by Dr. Allen, who he described as the “best advisor on campus.”
“Trying again is a massive part of my Georgetown College, and life, story,” says Jonathan. “At Georgetown, I was encouraged to try again when the results did not meet my expectations the first time. These lessons of persistence have served me well as a student, teacher, and in life.”
This past year, the Mason, Ohio, native now living in Georgetown, has been teaching English and Journalism at Western Hills High School in Frankfort. Jonathan says Georgetown College provided “the opportunities, the environment, and the people who helped me succeed.”
In particular, he credits Dr. Barbaccia (“hands-down the most difficult professor I had but who helped me hone my writing and thinking”), Dr. Lisa Eddy, Assistant Professor of Education (“who encouraged me to develop the character to ensure all the knowledge and abilities I developed would not go to waste”), and Dr. Roger Ward, Professor of Philosophy (whose ‘Seminar in Vocation’ course “helped me see education as far more than a job … and spurred an already thriving sense of adventure balanced by a conviction of responsibility to God and the world around me”).
“Even as a freshman, Jonathan stood out as an excellent student,” commented Dr. Ward. “His writing was precocious but chock full of powerful ideas, and those ideas became more refined as his writing developed. Jonathan’s drive to learn and experience other cultures is a testament to his character and the support he receives from his family and Georgetown College.”
As an undergraduate, Jonathan was a member of the President’s House Association (PHA), was active in Georgetown’s Writing Center, was a staff writer for The Georgetonian, and was involved in campus religious life.
“The Christian tradition, the liberal arts education, found in campus ministries and classes at Georgetown, I believe, formed me into the person I am today,” stated Jonathan. “What I learned and experienced here, I will take not only to South Korea as I teach there, but throughout my entire life.”
Dr. Barbaccia, upon learning of the awards, exclaimed, “I’m overjoyed for Collin and Jonathan. They are both highly deserving. Their intellectual curiosity, work ethic, talent, and wanderlust make them ideal Fulbright scholars. I am excited to follow them in their next adventures!”
I am truly thankful for my Georgetown College experience, education, and mentors.
Habitually Being: thoughts worth living. 