Alex McTaggart, a senior history major from Elm Grove, WI, has been selected to receive a Fulbright U.S. Student Program grant for the 2019-2020 academic year. He will serve as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Lithuania.
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.
“As a history major, I am passionate about learning how a nation’s past shapes its present. The Fulbright program will give me the opportunity to explore how Lithuanians were able to preserve their national identity, culture, and language under decades of Soviet occupation,” says McTaggart. “I look forward to gaining a deeper understanding of Lithuania’s long tradition of resistance and perseverance, as well as the relatively recent transition to democracy and EU membership. In my time serving as an English Teaching Assistant, I also hope to build an enriching learning environment for my students while also learning more about Lithuanian culture.”
During the summer of 2017, McTaggart studied abroad at the University of Cape Town with a focus on Nelson Mandela and the Anti-Apartheid Movement. McTaggart also is pursuing a minor in political science, and last summer, he worked as a policy intern for the criminal justice reform organization Just City through the Rhodes Summer Service Fellowship. He also has served as a public history extern at the National Civil Rights Museum.
On campus, McTaggart is a Shelby Foote Collection Fellow in Rhodes’ Department of History and a member of Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society. Also a student-athlete, McTaggart is a member of the men’s cross country and track and field teams as well as a member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee.
“Dr. Timothy Huebner has served as a close mentor throughout my academic career at Rhodes, and he helped me navigate through the rigorous Fulbright application process,” says McTaggart. “I was introduced to Dr. Huebner as a first-year student, and ever since then, he has provided me constant encouragement and support. As a professor, he has pushed me to challenge myself intellectually, and as my advisor for the Shelby Foote Fellowship, he has provided me invaluable professional guidance.”
After returning to the U.S., McTaggart plans to either attend law school in pursuit of a career in public interest law or enroll in a graduate program in history or public policy.
He is a graduate of Brookfield East High School.
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