Austin Wall, a Rhodes senior pursuing a bridge major in international studies and history, 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 Taiwan.
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.
“I have studied Chinese for three years at Rhodes and for a semester at East China Normal University in Shanghai. I chose Taiwan because they have disproved the long-standing myth that Chinese culture is incompatible with democracy,” says Wall. “Taiwan’s transition from exploited colonial possession to authoritarian regime to their current well-functioning democracy can serve as a model for other countries in East Asia in their pursuit of a just society. The Fulbright Program will allow me to spend time learning from a non-Western state that values democracy, human rights, and civil liberties. I hope that my time as a Fulbright grantee will allow me to serve my host community to the best of my ability while gaining professional experience in an international setting and improving my Chinese language skills.”
Wall is a member of Rhodes GenUN, which lends visibility to United Nations issues. In 2017, he served as an intern for the Micah Corps of the United Methodist Church. His internship focus was on educating community groups about issues pertaining to refugees and undocumented immigrants.
Currently, Wall works as a Rhodes Student Associate in the Office of Development and as an intern in Congressman Steve Cohen’s Memphis field office.
“Upon the completion of the Fulbright grant, I look forward to attending law school, working in the field of immigration advocacy, and possibly seeking ordination in the United Methodist Church,” he says.
Wall, who is from Cumberland Furnace, TN, is a graduate of Montgomery Central High School.
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