The recent graduates will use their awards to conduct research and teach English abroad during the 2017-18 Academic Year.
Press Release – SAN DIEGO, Calif. (May 23, 2017) — San Diego State University is well represented in the U.S. Fulbright program for the 2017-18 academic year. Two recent graduates have been awarded English Teaching Assistant (ETA) positions and the third, an alumna of the SDSU Graduate School of Public Health, received a Fulbright to study obesity in India.
Since 2005-06, and including the most recent awards, SDSU has produced 88 student Fulbright winners. Encouraging students to apply for the Fulbright program is part of a university-wide effort that promotes international experiences. SDSU ranks No. 9 nationally among universities for the number of students who study abroad.
“Having the opportunity to explore the world during their college years is a transformational experience for our students,” said Eric Rivera, vice president for Student Affairs. “Opportunities for international experiences, such as participation in the Fulbright program and study abroad, are a key element of the university’s strategic plan. The skills, perspectives, and friendships students make during their time abroad will deepen their learning and stay with them for a lifetime.”
SDSU Fulbright winners
Sahil Mehta (’16) leads the sixth-grade team and the Department of English at Excellence and Justice in Education Academies Middle School in El Cajon, California. He will teach English in Brazil and hopes to work with college professors there to “reimagine the possibilities” for diverse language learning at U.S. universities.
Mehta also plans to use his talent for dance to explore Brazilian musical genres while sharing his own expertise in salsa, bachata and Bollywood-style dancing. He will increase his fluency in the Portuguese language in hopes of eventually becoming a Peace Corps volunteer in Mozambique.
Kellie Quinn (’13, ‘17), recently completed a master’s degree in public administration at SDSU. Her Fulbright agenda for Morocco includes teaching English through multimedia tools, field trips and creative projects. She will introduce students to the diversity of American culture by helping them explore U.S. regional customs and cuisine.
Quinn plans to pursue a Ph.D. in forced migration and refugee studies with the aim of teaching at a college or university.
The Fulbright award to Sudha Royappa’s (’16) will support her work in India with healthcare professionals, exploring obesity prevention, treatment and long-term consequences. Her goal is to unite the healthcare community around this issue, particularly in the state of Tamilnadu, where rates of obesity and excess weight in men have increased by 95 percent over the last 10 years. Royappa has a master’s degree in public health.
“Historically, India has suffered from high rates of malnutrition, but accelerated economic growth combined with urbanization, technological advances and the nutrition transition have led to unprecedented rates of overweight, obesity, and their associated cardio-metabolic diseases,” Royappa said. “The healthcare community is in an ideal position to modify the public’s health beliefs, rally schools and businesses to change the nutritional environment and lobby community leaders and government for policy changes to ensure the optimal health of their people.”
More about Fulbright awards
The Fulbright U.S. Student Program, initiated in 1946 and funded through Congressional appropriations, offers research, study and teaching opportunities in over 140 countries to recent graduates and graduate students.
In addition, SDSU faculty have been named Fulbright Scholars and funded to teach and do research internationally. History Professor Kathryn Edgerton-Tarpley will spend the spring 2018 semester in China exploring changes and continuities in Chinese responses to calamity—specifically famine—in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
About San Diego State University
San Diego State University is a major public research institution that provides transformative experiences, both inside and outside of the classroom, for its more than 36,000 students. The university offers bachelor’s degrees in 91 areas, master’s degrees in 78 areas and doctorates in 22 areas. Students participate in research, international experiences, sustainability and entrepreneurship initiatives, internships and mentoring, and a broad range of student life and leadership opportunities. The university’s rich campus life features opportunities for students to participate in, and engage with, the creative and performing arts, a Division I athletics program and the vibrant cultural life of the San Diego region. For more information, visit www.sdsu.edu.
