Three young women, having just graduated from college, hike an arduous mountain trail in central Vermont. It's one last adventure together for the close friends before they begin the next chapter of their lives. But one of the hikers, Megan Larcom (TPR'10), is anxious, unsure of what her future holds. She's a finalist for a Fulbright scholarship to teach at Suez Canal University but knows that the award, given by the U.S. State Department for cultural exchanges to study and teach in other countries, is competitive. She also knows that no Fulbright scholar has ever taught English in Egypt.
Walking along the foliage, she remembers the moment her journey began: in an eye-opening entry-level class on Middle East culture and politics; it was then she decided to experience the region for herself. She spent the summer after her freshman year working in the Student Affairs office at the university's campus in Qatar. As a sophomore, she returned there on a teaching assistantship. Her continued curiosity led to additional trips to Morocco and Tunisia, and to the study of Arabic.
When Larcom and her friends finally reach the rocky summit, Larcom checks her email. Nervously, she clicks on a message from the university's scholarship office. She learns that she's done it: she'll be spending the next year in Egypt teaching English, assisting students with U.S. history and culture, researching, and studying Arabic. At once, she's thrilled and relieved.
Along with Larcom's pioneering scholarship, two other alumni also received Fulbrights this year:
Nathan Hall (A'08), who will travel to Iceland to write music based on how people interact with the country's landscapes.
James Harrell (HS'09), who will conduct research and teach political science at Peter Pazmany Catholic University in Budapest, Hungary.
-Kevin O'Connell
