W&L’s Allie Stankewich ’23 Earns Fulbright to Uganda Stankewich has been awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to teach English in Uganda.
Washington and Lee University senior Allie Stankewich ’23 has been awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship (ETA) to teach English in Uganda. At W&L, Stankewich is a sociology and environmental studies double major with a minor in poverty and human capability studies. Stankewich is a native of Guilford, Connecticut, and graduated from Guilford High School.
The ETA program in Uganda aims to strengthen the educational and cultural relationships between the United States and Uganda, while providing participants with professional development opportunities to advance their teaching skills. Fulbright English Teaching Assistants are placed in public universities or with the American Center in Kampala.
Stankewich will be placed at a Ugandan university, where her main role will be to support university students with academic writing, resumes, interview skills and job preparation for English-based opportunities. She is eager to return to Uganda after completing a study and internship abroad program in Jinja during the summer of 2021, which focused on public health and global health justice.
“I am eager to build relationships with bright leaders and change-makers who are my peers and future global colleagues through this role, while engaging in meaningful cultural exchange and collaboration,” Stankewich said. “I also look forward to continuing to work toward mastering Swahili as an extension of my intensive study of the language this past year in Tanzania through the David L. Boren Scholarship’s African Flagship Language Initiative.”
Stankewich appreciates the mentorship, resources and support she has received from W&L and is grateful to the faculty members who have encouraged her to take risks and dive into opportunities to learn and grow. Jon Eastwood, professor of sociology at W&L, considers Stankewich to be “a brilliant student, an accomplished builder of community and a consistent contributor to positive interactions and social cooperation on campus and beyond.”
During her time at W&L, Stankewich has been highly engaged with both the campus and the greater Lexington-Rockbridge communities. She was actively involved in the Shepherd Program for the Interdisciplinary Study of Poverty and Human Capability, the Nabors Service League, and the Outing Club, and is a member of W&L’s Compost Crew, the university’s Wind Ensemble and Kathekon, a student organization that aims to improve student-alumni relations. She served as co-president of the Student Environmental Action League (SEAL) and service ministry chair for the Catholic Campus Ministry and is a Traveller employee. Stankewich has also been a part of Campus Kitchen at W&L (CKWL) since her freshman year and served as the strategic initiatives committee chair her junior year and the vice president this past year.
“I’ve had the distinct pleasure of working with Allie since her first year on campus and have been continuously impressed by her on a personal and professional level,” said Ryan Brink, CKWL coordinator. “Allie has brought deep insights to group discussions, boundless energy to team events, and a creative perspective to organizational challenges throughout her various roles with the Campus Kitchen. It is difficult to understate the impact Allie has had on the Campus Kitchen, and we are so excited to see what good she does in her Fulbright year and beyond.”
In an increasingly connected world, Stankewich appreciates the mission of the Fulbright program to promote knowledge reason, and compassion in world affairs. She is grateful for the opportunity not only to teach, but to listen, explore and learn during her time in Uganda.
“Allie is a person of profound conviction, at once capable of mastering complex scientific ideas while holding ground for the human dimensions and emotional depths of environmental justice conflicts,” said Chelsea Fisher, assistant professor of environmental studies at W&L. “I am convinced she has the potential to be a leader in the field of international public health and climate change, and I believe she will positively impact the students and community members she will encounter as a Fulbright ETA.”
With the Fulbright award, Stankewich will depart in August 2023 for her nine-month program. Upon completion of the program, Stankewich plans to attend graduate school to study global public health or environmental health, with a focus on social or environmental epidemiology.
“I care about the dignity and well-being of people and the environment and want to integrate that into my future career in some capacity,” she said. “I am especially interested in deepening my understanding of international diplomacy’s role in contributing to a more just and empathetic world.”
The Fulbright Program was established more than 75 years ago to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. Fulbright is the world’s largest and most diverse international educational exchange program. The primary source of funding for the Fulbright Program is an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
Washington and Lee University is proud to be included on the list of U.S. colleges and universities that produced the most 2022-2023 Fulbright U.S. Students for the fifth consecutive year.
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