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It was a two-week service trip to Germany volunteering at an English Camp that inspired Millersville University senior, Alexis Chin to learn a foreign language. She decided to major in German and Business Administration with a minor in general English, and became a member of Millersville University’s Honors College. Recently, Chin was awarded the Fulbright Award to teach English as a Second Language (ESL) in Hessen, Germany. She graduated from Millersville on May 12.
“No words could ever adequately describe what this award means to me or how thankful I am for this opportunity,” says Chin. “Ever since I found out about the program, I knew that I wanted to apply. This program will give me the opportunity to use my God-given passions and talents for language and grammar to help others to learn valuable skills that will help them in the future, which is exactly what my language instructors have done for me.”
Chin is originally from Lancaster and graduated from Lampeter-Strasburg in 2014. In addition to being a member of the University Honors College, she works in the University Accounting Office and is a German peer tutor in the foreign language department. Outside campus, Chin is an active participant in her church where she teaches Sunday school for kindergarteners and volunteers with the middle school students. She says that studying abroad in Marburg, Germany was one of the most influential experiences in her life.
“I gained experience assisting higher-level English learners both formally through the Tandem Program and informally through helping my German peers who sought my assistance with English,” says Chin.
In 1945, Senator J. William Fulbright introduced a bill in the United States Congress that called for the use of surplus war property to fund the promotion of international good will through the exchange of students in the fields of education, culture and science. On August 1, 1946, President Harry S. Truman signed the bill into law, and Congress created the Fulbright Program, the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government.
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.
