Elizabeth Lewis, a Rhodes senior pursuing a double major in political science and Russian studies, has been selected to receive a Fulbright U.S. Student Program grant for the 2018-2019 academic year. She will serve as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Belarus.
The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program provides grants for English teaching assistantships as well as for individually designed study/research projects. Recipients are chosen for their academic merit and intellectual potential. Rhodes has been recognized by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs as a top producing institution for Fulbright U.S. Students for 2017-2018.
“While teaching and living in Belarus, I plan to examine the role folk music plays in community building and the preservation of tradition,” says Lewis. “Examining Belarusian folk music would provide a way for me to connect with people through a shared passion. Growing up in an ethnically Polish family, Sunday afternoons were spent learning to play the button box accordion—an instrument common in both Belarusian and Polish folk music—from my grandfather. As a result, I have a first-hand appreciation for the way folk music brings people together and preserves traditions, which is something that I want to work to preserve.”
At Rhodes, Lewis plays varsity lacrosse and is a Rhodes Student Associate for the Language Center. She also is a member of Pi Sigma Alpha political science honor society, the Kappa Beta chapter of the Chi Omega Fraternity, and the Dobro Slovo National Slavic Honor Society.
“Upon returning to the United States, I intend to pursue a master’s degree in Russian literature or Russian translation to better equip myself for a potential career in international politics, translation, or diplomacy,” she says.
Lewis is a graduate of Judge Memorial Catholic High School in Salt Lake City, UT.
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