Marywood student and professor named Fulbright scholars

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Jessica Bonacci, Opinion Editor

Two members of the Marywood community have been named Fulbright scholars.

Barbara Parker-Bell, Psy.D. and associate professor of art, and Katlyn Beaton, master of arts graduate and instructor in the foreign language department, have been awarded Fulbright grants.

Parker-Bell will be traveling to Tomsk State University in Russia during the fall 2016 semester to teach and conduct research on the use of art therapy in Russia.

Beaton received an English Teaching Assistantship and will spend a year in Andorra, southwestern Europe.

Parker-Bell said she will be both teaching and researching during her time in Russia.

“It’s a 50-50 teaching and research grant,” Parker-Bell said. “That means I’ll be teaching some art therapy courses [and]…working with faculty, students and professionals to formulate a questionnaire to understand the practices of people using art therapy in Russia.”

Parker-Bell aims to “create another research process where we do qualitative work and interview some of those people who practice [art therapy] more extensively.”

According to a news article on Marywood’s website, Beaton will be teaching at the high school level in Andorra. She will begin teaching this August.

She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Spanish at Marywood and recently completed her Master of Arts in education.

According to Samantha Christiansen, Fulbright program advisor, having two Fulbright winners creates a positive image for Marywood.

“I’m excited. I think that it’s a testament to the academic strength of our institution,” Christiansen said. “It takes a lot to get a Fulbright…It benefits us all in a lot of ways because it places us among institutions that are academic in focus.”

Christiansen explained that the characteristics of a Fulbright scholar include intellectual curiosity, openness to other cultures and a desire to travel.

This desire to travel, as Christiansen said, can lead to a “depth of understanding” of different cultures.

“In higher education we have the opportunity to be cultural ambassadors,” Christiansen said. “A Fulbrighter that travels abroad is not only learning about the culture and the environment that they’re visiting, but they’re also representing a depiction of life and culture in the United States.”

Those who apply for the Fulbright program have the opportunity to receive grants for research and teaching projects.

Interested candidates can visit the Fulbright program’s page on the Marywood website.
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