2008 Woodie Awards
From Bicyclist to Bilinguist: Hendrix senior awarded Fulbright
Brad Howard
Issue date: 4/28/06 Section: News
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One Hendrix senior will soon be spending a year in Germany to teach English to high school students as a part of the prestigious J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Program.
Senior Matt Stinson, a German and Economics/Business double major, is most known by students for his bicycle riding, or "trials riding" as its known to insiders, but he is also known for his love of the German language.
"My goal has always been to be bilingual," Stinson said. "When I studied last year in Graz for a semester, I fell in love with the language and culture."
The Fulbright Program, created by and named in honor of former Arkansas senator J. William Fulbright, awards more than 1,200 grants to U.S. students to study in over 140 countries with the goal of increasing mutual understanding between the people of the United States and other countries through the exchange of persons, knowledge, and skills. The program affords scholars one academic year of study, research, or teaching assistantship experience. Stinson will be spending a year in Germany as an assistant teacher in the public school system teaching English.
Stinson said he applied because he wanted to spend more time in Germany and believes in the goal of the Fulbright Program.
"It's a really practical scholarship and it affords me time to live in Germany in case I decide to stay there," he said.
Stinson's professors were confident he would be selected for the program.
"He only spent a semester in Graz and came back with an astounding grasp of the language," Dr. Wayne Oudekerk, German professor and coordinator of international programs, said. "He's an extraordinary young man."
Elizabeth Bridges, visiting German professor, said, "When Matt told me he was applying for a Fulbright, I had very little doubt he would get to go to Germany. His dedication as a student of the German program at Hendrix is unsurpassed. I've seen few students learn the language so well in a classroom setting, much less strive to speak it so consistently outside the classroom."
Senior Matt Stinson, a German and Economics/Business double major, is most known by students for his bicycle riding, or "trials riding" as its known to insiders, but he is also known for his love of the German language.
"My goal has always been to be bilingual," Stinson said. "When I studied last year in Graz for a semester, I fell in love with the language and culture."
The Fulbright Program, created by and named in honor of former Arkansas senator J. William Fulbright, awards more than 1,200 grants to U.S. students to study in over 140 countries with the goal of increasing mutual understanding between the people of the United States and other countries through the exchange of persons, knowledge, and skills. The program affords scholars one academic year of study, research, or teaching assistantship experience. Stinson will be spending a year in Germany as an assistant teacher in the public school system teaching English.
Stinson said he applied because he wanted to spend more time in Germany and believes in the goal of the Fulbright Program.
"It's a really practical scholarship and it affords me time to live in Germany in case I decide to stay there," he said.
Stinson's professors were confident he would be selected for the program.
"He only spent a semester in Graz and came back with an astounding grasp of the language," Dr. Wayne Oudekerk, German professor and coordinator of international programs, said. "He's an extraordinary young man."
Elizabeth Bridges, visiting German professor, said, "When Matt told me he was applying for a Fulbright, I had very little doubt he would get to go to Germany. His dedication as a student of the German program at Hendrix is unsurpassed. I've seen few students learn the language so well in a classroom setting, much less strive to speak it so consistently outside the classroom."
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