Carson Wiliford, recent Auburn University graduate, has been awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to teach English in Germany. The Auburn, Alabama native graduated in the fall of 2016 with a degree in English literature and philosophy and a minor in German.
“This scholarship will provide Carson a once in a lifetime opportunity to live and teach in a foreign country,” Dr. Paul Harris, the National Prestigious Scholarship Advisor for Auburn University, said. “This will allow him to become a much more well-rounded person.”
The Fulbright Program is an international educational exchange program sponsored by the United States government. The scholarship is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. Those awarded the scholarship, are selected because of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential.
“He has a background in a foreign language, which is a minor in German, and teaching, after being a writing consultant for the Miller Writing Center,” Harris said. “He’s also very interested in building cultural bridges between Germany and the United States, so he was a very strong candidate for this scholarship.”
The application process for the Fulbright Scholarship requires a one page or a thousand-word personal statement and a two-page proposal of study. It also requires three letters of recommendation by his former professors and him to submit his official transcript. There is also a scholarship interview on campus by three Auburn professors, Dr. Ralph Kingston, Dr. Rupa Mishra, and Dr. Paula Bobrowski, who are a part of the campus wide Fulbright interview committee along with Dr. Paul Harris.
“I worked with Carson three years ago for a summer scholarship to England and I also worked with him on the application as well,” Harris said.
Three summers ago Wiliford applied and was awarded another Fulbright scholarship following his freshman year at Auburn. The United States-United Kingdom Fulbright Summer Institute was one month.
“I went to Nottingham, England,” Wiliford said, “It was a great experience; I was expecting it to be really challenging and rigorous, but it was more of a cultural experience. That really gave me a new perspective on learning and how the academic aspect of it all has to be more down to earth.
The scholarship allows students to teach while also participating in the culture. For this scholarship Wiliford will be partnered with a teacher to teach English in a classroom for twelve hours a week, but outside of that he will spend the rest of his time exploring and learning more about the German culture.
“It’s a huge opportunity in general to help discover what I want to do ultimately,” Wiliford said. “I want to keep reading writing, and thinking about language, I want to learn more German, and I also want to live somewhere besides Auburn, so hopefully this will be what will help me take the next step following the Fulbright scholarship.”
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