Students Receive Prestigious Fulbright Grants

Nazareth College is proud to announce that the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board has selected Joshua Hurd ’13 of Livonia, N.Y., Leslie Johnson ’13 of Watertown, N.Y., and Ashley Yerdon ’13 of Mexico, N.Y. as recipients of the 2013-2014 U.S. Junior Fulbright awards. In the last five years, there have been 17 Fulbrights awarded to Nazareth College students.

Hurd, a German and French double major with inclusive adolescence education certification, will teach English at a secondary school in Germany, while also continuing his work with high school exchange students and bringing Ultimate Frisbee to his host school. Upon completion of his teaching year, Hurd plans to work abroad for some time before pursuing a master’s and eventually a doctorate degree in German studies or education.

Johnson, a double major in sociology and inclusive childhood/middle childhood education, will teach English in Malaysia. During her year abroad, she hopes to establish an English conversation club, where students can practice their language skills in a comfortable setting.

Yerdon, a double major in German language and literature and international studies with a minor in Asian studies, will teach English in Germany. She studied abroad in Berlin in fall 2011, where she interned at the German-Japanese Cultural Center. She helped with cultural events such as

concerts, film screenings, and art exhibitions. After her Fulbright year in Germany, she would like to continue studying in Germany before possibly pursuing graduate school.

Established in 1946 under legislation introduced by the late Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas, the Fulbright program’s objective is to build mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the rest of the world. Sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the Fulbright program is America’s flagship international education exchange. Approximately 279,500 “Fulbrights,” 105,400 from the United States and 174,100 from other countries, have participated in the program since its inception more than fifty years ago.

Joshua Hurd

Joshua Hurd '13