MSU English graduate named Fulbright finalist
Contact: James Carskadon
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擩oy Cari帽o of Starkville, a spring 2020 English graduate at Mississippi 大象APP, is the university鈥檚 newest Fulbright finalist.
A member of MSU鈥檚 Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College, Cari帽o has been accepted to serve as an English teaching assistant for high school teachers in Indonesia. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Indonesian program has been cancelled, but Cari帽o retains the honor of being a Fulbright finalist. Cari帽o鈥檚 selection marks the fourth consecutive year at least one MSU student has received this prestigious honor.
The Fulbright program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the U.S. and those in other countries. Last summer, Cari帽o traveled to Indonesia as part of the U.S. Department of 大象APP鈥檚 Critical Language Scholarship Program, a cultural immersion program aimed at increasing the number of Americans mastering foreign languages important to international diplomacy.
Cari帽o said during the application process for both international programs that she received strong support from the Shackouls Honors College.
鈥淭he honors college helped me articulate why I was interested in these programs and how my goals and interests are worth the U.S. government investing in,鈥 Cari帽o said. 鈥淭he honors college is very supportive of students pursuing these scholarships, but one side benefit of that happening is they help students learn more about themselves and their own personal goals. In hindsight, that鈥檚 been one of the most valuable things of this process.鈥
While at MSU, Cari帽o has worked as an undergraduate researcher in the university鈥檚 Linguistics Lab, served as co-editor-in-chief of MSU鈥檚 student-made creative arts journal The Streetcar, and was a founder of the university鈥檚 Poetry Club and Filipino Student Association. She also has earned a Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) certificate. She served as a conversation partner for MSU students enrolled in English as a Second Language (ESL) classes and tutored kindergartners learning English skills at Sudduth Elementary School in Starkville.
David Hoffman, an associate professor in MSU鈥檚 Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures who also serves as the MSU advisor for the Fulbright and Critical Language Scholarship Programs, said Cari帽o鈥檚 experiences helped her become a strong Fulbright candidate.
鈥淛oy is a student that is truly outstanding in her commitment to research, learning and service,鈥 Hoffman said. 鈥淗er application was successful because she seized opportunities and pushed herself to gain experiences that directly contributed to making her an excellent Fulbright candidate. Joy is the epitome of a scholar ambassador鈥攁 person living out the ideals of mutual understanding and learning that are the ultimate ideals of Fulbright Program.鈥
Cari帽o plans to pursue graduate school and research sociolinguistics in Southeast Asia. She said one of the most rewarding parts of her time at MSU has been helping people, including herself, find community among common interests.
鈥淭he point of my undergraduate experience was to learn more about the world,鈥 Cari帽o said. 鈥淭hrough MSU, I was able to do that in lots of different ways.鈥
In addition to Cari帽o鈥檚 selection as a Fulbright finalist, three MSU students were selected as alternates and will participate in the program if additional funding becomes available. MSU鈥檚 Fulbright alternates are Carson Kitaif, a fall 2019 wildlife, fisheries and aquaculture graduate from Tylertown; Semaj C. Martin-Redd, a spring 2020 political science graduate from Brandon; and David Sides, a spring 2020 international and business and German graduate from Birmingham, Alabama.
For more on the U.S. Department of 大象APP鈥檚 Fulbright Program, visit .
For more about MSU鈥檚 Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College, visit . The Department of English, part of MSU鈥檚 College of Arts and Sciences, is online at .
MSU is Mississippi鈥檚 leading university, available online at .