David Gunderman '15 (left), one of three Fulbright recipients, will be an English Teaching Assistant (ETA) in Germany. He said of the opportunity, 'Teaching is going to be a huge part of my career, and I need practice teaching in every context. I love teaching and spending time with students. I’m going into a career where I’m going to be teaching a lot, but mostly older students, possibly college and Ph.D. students. The fact that I will get to spend time with high school students, or younger, and interact with them is a big advantage and one of the reasons I pursued this.'
Indianapolis native Patrick Rezek '15 (left) also earned a Fulbright. He said, 'When you look at what a Fulbright is and what it has to offer, Wabash completely prepares you for that. Wabash gives students an opportunity to open doors that they might not think they can open. Wabash allows students to experiment, get your feet wet in different areas and to take on those challenges.'
Pierce Velderman '15 (right) earned a United States Teaching Assistantship at Austrian Secondary Schools fellowship and will be based in Vienna.
'I'm looking forward to taking math classes at a university in Berlin, perfecting my German language skills, and going off on the teacher tangent,' said Gunderman.
Ben Finley '15 (center) is one of three Wabash Fulbright winners in 2015. He said, 'It’s a huge honor. The biggest thing is that I get to operate as a cultural ambassador. I get to experience their culture, let them know about mine, and integrate as much as possible with young people.'
Luke Walker '15 (left) won a fellowship in the Teaching Assistant Program In France and will be based in Lille.
Prior to claiming his fellowship, Velderman also notably played Sky Masterson in the Wabash production of 'Guys and Dolls' in November.
Assistant Professor of Spanish Ivette de Assis-Wilson (left) is all smiles while talking with Rezek.
A native of Holland, MI, Velderman is a German major and music minor.
Associate Professor of Psychology Eric Olofson made an appearance at the reception.
Said Finley, 'It will be great to live abroad for a while. I like to be involved in things. I like being a part of something that is developing and growing. I like being a leader. To be able to do all of those things while being abroad is huge.'
Velderman is also a member of the Glee Club.
Assistant Professor of Chemistry Laura Wysocki (left) and Visiting Assistant Professor of Music Kristen Strandberg (center) chat with Gunderman.
'My teachers have had a huge impact on me, especially my German teachers,' said Gunderman. 'That’s one of the reasons I want to give back to the German community. Teaching will be really important for my career moving forward, as I plan to be a math professor at a university.'
Susan Albrecht, the Wabash Graduate Fellowship Advisor, said 'I would like to think that having six Fulbright recipients and a Rhodes Scholar in the past two years would signal to other Wabash students that our brightest and best scholars are true scholars – talented individuals with tremendous gifts to offer – who compete with anyone. My hope is that more of our young men will realize this and put forth their own candidacy for a Fulbright or other major fellowship.'
Finley said of being abroad: 'Friction creates growth. That’s what I’ve seen in my Wabash experience and abroad. I created a social network and got involved in leadership positions, and tried to do the same thing in Spain – meet as many people as possible and get involved in activities and events and really branch out.'
Walker is also the Colllege's first-ever Electronic Music minor.
The Lilly Library housed the gathering.
Associate Professor of Mathematics & Computer Science Chad Westphal speaks with Gunderman.
Associate Professor of Art History Elizabeth Morton talks with Olofson.
Gunderman earned Double Distinction as a mathematics and German double major.
(From left): Rezek, Morton, Wysocki, and Walker share an engaging moment.
One of Walker's electronic music compositions has been accepted for performance at the 2015 New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival.
Velderman will work as a secondary school teaching assistant while in Austria.
The opportunities for fellowships at Wabash College appear endless, as seven students earned major postgraduate fellowships, capping a semester of accomplishment and reward at the 183-year-old liberal arts institution.
The College has produced a Rhodes Scholar and six Fulbright recipients in the last two years to go with three other teaching fellowships, an excellent indicator of the high caliber of the student body.
“There is a tremendous depth of opportunity here,” said Susan Albrecht, the Graduate Fellowship Advisor at Wabash College. “There are nationally-competitive fellowship and scholarship opportunities for a wide variety of our students. I hope that more of our young men continue to put forth their own candidacy for these major fellowships.”
The ninth Rhodes Scholar in school history, Jacob Burnett ’15, was one of 32 students in the nation to be named a Rhodes out of a pool of 877 candidates. The native of Mishawaka, IN, will work toward his master's degree at Oxford in the fall of 2015.
Three Wabash College students earned Fulbright Scholarships as English Teaching Assistants (ETA) in 2015. It marks the second consecutive year in which Wabash has had three Fulbright recipients.
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The trio of Ben Finley ’15, David Gunderman ’15, and Patrick Rezek ’15 garnered Fulbright Scholarships as English Teaching Assistants (ETA) and plan to serve assistantships in Argentina, Germany, and Poland, respectively.
The ETA program places a Fulbright winner in a classroom abroad to provide assistance to teachers of English to non-native English speakers, while serving in a small role as a U.S. cultural ambassador. The age and academic level of classroom students varies by country, ranging from kindergarten to university level.
Finley, a native of Westfield, IN, was awarded the teaching grant and will be based in Argentina educating college-aged students seeking teaching licenses. His educational experience in Argentina will give him a greater fluency in the Spanish language and further his interest in literature and teaching. It’s an opportunity to pursue a passion for education in an immersive experience.
Gunderman, from Zionsville, IN, will be based in Germany educating high school-aged students. Teaching figures prominently in Gunderman’s plans, as he will enter graduate school following his Fulbright stint. Further, this opportunity is a chance to thank a few influential teachers.
Rezek, a product of Indianapolis, IN, earned the teaching grant and will be based in Poland working with either high school or university students. He hopes the small classrooms and hands-on learning environments in the country will help him build relationships quickly. Additionally, Rezek intends to observe the Polish educational system, specifically looking at the unique and rigorous admissions process into public and private universities, as part of his supplemental research project.
Additionally, John Davis ’15, Pierce Velderman ’15, and Luke Walker ’15 each received teaching fellowships and two of them will be teaching abroad.
Davis, a native of Indianapolis, received a Woodrow Wilson Indiana Teaching Fellowship. Funded through the Lilly Endowment, Inc., the program seeks to place future teachers with STEM backgrounds – science, technology, engineering, and mathematics – into teaching in high-need Indiana secondary schools. He will serve his fellowship in Indianapolis.
Velderman, a native of Holland, MI, was awarded a United States Teaching Assistantship at Austrian Secondary Schools and will be based in Vienna. In addition to serving as linguistic models in classroom English instruction, these teaching assistants contribute to the promotion of mutual understanding between the peoples of the United States and the Republic of Austria.
Walker, a native of Wingate, IN, earned a Teaching Assistant Program In France fellowship and will be based in Lille. The program aims to strengthen English-language instruction in French schools by establishing a native speaker presence, while also providing U.S. students with excellent teaching experience and first-hand knowledge of French language and culture.
“A fellowship is one of the many ways a Wabash man connects and engages with the world at large,” said Wabash College President Gregory D. Hess. “Earning such distinction not only opens doors for the individual, but speaks to the quality of the institution and the student body. I trust that Wabash men will continue to pursue these fellowships and enjoy the journey, wherever their intellectual interests lead.”