2016 Fulbright Scholar (Brazil) – Leighton Rowell (Fellows Class of 2016) During her time at UGA, Leighton Rowell has visited a number of intriguing locales – her Amazing Student profile says she has been able to “defend essays in Oxford, stargaze in Morocco, and pray in the temples of Bali.” And that only scratches the surface. Leighton has also spent time in Israel and Palestine, Paris, and Brazil, where she spent two months in 2015 studying Portuguese in an intensive language program as part of the Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship. Now armed with a Fulbright Scholarship, Leighton will return to Brazil, and while she’s sure to learn much, this time she’ll be on the other side of the desk, teaching English in a public university. “I will be helping to plan language learning activities and lead classes for university students who are training to become English teachers themselves,” she says. “In addition to my teaching responsibilities, I am expected to do a ‘supplementary project,’ and in fulfillment of that requirement I plan to research public opinion on affirmative action in Brazilian universities.” With an on-campus background that includes serving as managing editor for the Red & Black and working at WSB-TV, radio station WUGA, Georgia Political Review, Georgia News Lab, and NBC Olympics, Leighton will also take a journalist’s mindset to Brazil. “In our globalizing world, the importance of learning to communicate across cultures cannot be overstated, and I’m excited to work with people who share my passion for language,” she says. “I’m also looking forward to improving my Portuguese, eating açaí bowls on a regular basis, and reuniting at some point with my host family from last summer.”
2016 Fulbright Scholars (Turkey) – Kameel Mir (Fellows Class of 2015) and Treva Tam (Fellows Class of 2016) Two Fellows were awarded the Fulbright Scholarship to Turkey, but in the wake of recent security concerns in Turkey, the U.S. has suspended the Fulbright ETA program there for the coming year. Having spent time in Bangladesh, Costa Rica, England, Morocco, and South Korea, Kameel Mir is well acquainted with the power of language. In addition to English, she speaks Turkish, Bengali, Arabic, and Spanish. Kameel – who recently graduated with three undergraduate degrees (Arabic, English, international affairs) and an MA in English – served as president and executive director of UGA Roosevelt, the student policy think tank. An officer in the Women’s Studies Student Organization, she also interned with the Carter Center, the Center for American Progress, the Center for International Trade and Security, and the Carl Vinson Institute of Government. She is the UGA English Department’s 2015 Virginia Walters Scholar and a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Treva Tam majored in advertising and sociology at UGA. As a sophomore, she spent six weeks in Istanbul on an AIESEC internship, and she also studied abroad in England, France, and South Africa. She maintained a torrid pace on campus, interning with the University of Georgia Press and serving as vice president for the Asian Children Mentoring Program, publicity chair for the UGA AdClub, and publications coordinator for Alpha Gamma Delta sorority. She also found time to work with Georgia Political Review as design editor and to participate in a sociology research project spearheaded by Dr. Linda Renzulli. Foundation Fellows & R a m se y Honor s S chol ar s A nnual R ep ort
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