Walsh University senior Erin Loomis has been awarded a 2017-2018 Fulbright U.S. Student Grant to Thailand, a highly competitive fellowship that enables students to pursue academic endeavors overseas.
The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is the largest U.S. exchange program offering opportunities for students and young professionals to undertake international graduate study, advanced research, university teaching, and primary and secondary school teaching worldwide. The program currently awards approximately 1,900 grants annually in all fields of study, and operates in more than 140 countries worldwide.
"It is an enormous accomplishment for Erin to have been selected as a Fulbright U.S. Student awardee," said Director of Service Learning Abigail Poeske, Fulbright Program Advisor. "It demonstrates both the strength of Walsh's Blouin Global Scholars program and Erin's academic and extra-curricular successes. As a leader in service with an international perspective, Erin personifies Walsh's mission, and we are proud of her achievement."
Erin Loomis will graduate this Sunday with her bachelor’s degree in education and certification as an Early Childhood Intervention Specialist and Intervention Specialist Moderate to Intensive. A native of Canfield, Ohio, Loomis competed for 22 open positions as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Thailand.The English Teaching Assistant (ETA) programs place Fulbright Scholars in classrooms abroad to provide assistance to local English teachers. ETAs help to teach the English language while serving as cultural ambassadors for the U.S.
As a Br. Francis Blouin Global Scholar researching the issue of global healthcare, Loomis has studied in Tanzania and Italy and will be heading to Uruguay in May with the Walsh Division of Education.
"The mission of the Blouin Global Scholars completely matches with my outlook on the world and how people should be treated. It was a perfect fit," said Loomis. "I chose Thailand because it’s a part of the world I’ve never been in, and I’m interested in learning more about that area. I’ve always wanted to teach. It’s always been who I am. But until Walsh, I never knew it was possible to teach internationally. Because of my experience with the Blouin Scholars and Walsh’s emphasis on Global Learning, I’ve discovered a love for our international community."
Walsh University’s first Fulbright was Benjamin Louis ’12, a double-major in History and Education, who was selected as a 2012-13 Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in South Korea.