News
Manhattanville College Student Awarded Fulbright Scholarship
March 23, 2007
Manhattanville College Senior Joseph Fulginiti has been awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to teach English as a Second Language (ESL) at Hong Kong Institute of Education. Beginning in July, Fulginiti will spend 11 months in Hong Kong where he will be teaching students who are interested in becoming teachers in Hong Kong and the mainland of China. Fulginiti, from Canandaigua, NY, is the current editor of the Touchstone, the student newspaper of Manhattanville College. He is a double major in History and Political Science and recently represented Manhattanville College at the Bonn International Model United Nations (BIMUN) conference in Bonn, Germany.
Manhattanville College President Richard A. Berman said: “Joe Fulginiti is a perfect example of a student who is living Manhattanville College’s mission to educate ethically and socially responsible leaders for the global community. Being awarded a Fulbright scholarship is a prestigious honor and it truly demonstrates Joe’s leadership. The educational impact he will have on individuals across the world is inspiring to all of us in the Manhattanville community.”
Fulginiti’s participation in the BIMUN conference this past December allowed him to gain valuable experience through his interactions with other participants from around the world. "I was quite impressed with the other students at the UN conference, many of whom were a few years older and trilingual,” said Fulginiti. “I learned a lot from talking to them both in and outside of the committee sessions.” As one of 160 students at the conference, he debated issues ranging from financing for global development to disaster relief. His fellow representatives were from all over the world and his roommates were from Switzerland, Hong Kong and Germany.
The sound of a student practicing clarinet was what first brought Fulginiti to Manhattanville four years ago. “Music has always been important to me, and though I wasn’t going to be a music major, I liked the fact that I would be able to continue playing in college,” he said. “I also liked that the college offered so many different programs even though it was a smaller campus.”
Two years of Chinese classes and a minor in Asian Studies should prepare Fulginiti for his Fulbright scholarship in Hong Kong this July. He will also be able to take cultural and language classes at the Hong Kong Institute of Education as part of his Fulbright scholarship.
The Fulbright program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. It is the largest U.S. international exchange program offering opportunities for students, scholars, and professionals to undertake international graduate study, advanced research, university teaching, and teaching in elementary and secondary schools worldwide.