Three Kansas State University students receive Fulbright awards to study/teach abroad
MANHATTAN — Three Kansas State University students will represent the United States as Fulbright award recipients.
Jakob Hanschu, senior in anthropology and geography, Hillsboro; Sarah Marek, senior in secondary education, German and Spanish, Holton; and Hannah Harker, master's student in second language acquisition-Spanish, Marshallville, Ohio, are 2019-2020 Fulbright U.S. student grantees.
The Fulbright programs create international educational exchange opportunities to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. Fulbright grant recipients receive round-trip transportation, tuition when applicable and a monthly living stipend for one academic year abroad.
Hanschu will attend the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom to study critical theory and politics. He is the president of the Office of Undergraduate Research & Creative Inquiry Student Ambassadors, vice president of Anthropology Club, and organizer of the Anthropology Book Club. During his undergraduate studies, he has authored five peer-reviewed articles, co-authored a peer-reviewed book chapter and given nearly 20 academic presentations.
In addition to the Fulbright, Hanschu's other honors include being named a Rhodes Scholarship finalist; receiving the Huber Self Geography Scholarship, Patricia J. O'Brien Scholarship in Archaeology, Mark Chapman Scholarship, Peru-Sondor Field School Scholarship, Putnam Scholarship, Kassebaum Scholarship, Swogger Primary Texts Scholarship and the College of Arts and Sciences Undergraduate Research Award; and earning first place at the 2018 Great Plains/Rocky Mountain Division of the American Association of Geographers Undergraduate Paper Competition and receiving an Undergraduate Student Poster Award from the Society for American Archaeology/Institute for Field Research. A graduate of Hillsboro High School, Hanschu is the son of Jayson and Jan Hanschu, Hillsboro.
Marek will teach English at a high school in Germany. A member of the University Honors Program, she is the president of German Club; a member of Kappa Delta Pi International Honor Society in Education, Delta Phi Alpha National German Honorary Society and Sigma Delta Pi Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society; and house manager for the Manhattan Arts Center. Marek presented her undergraduate research on peer interactions in second language at the American Association of Applied Linguistics Conference.
In addition to the Fulbright, Marek's honors include a Putnam Scholarship, Tomorrow's Teacher Scholarship and an Office of Undergraduate Research & Creative Inquiry Research Grant. A graduate of Rock Creek High School, Marek is the daughter of Norbert and Jennifer Marek, Holton.
Harker will teach English and attend classes in Montevideo, Uruguay. She is the president of the Modern Languages Graduate Student Association and served as vice president of Sigma Delta Pi Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society. As part of her master's thesis, she is researching language change in Spanish literary texts during the 17th and 19th centuries. At Texas Tech University in March, she presented an earlier version of this project at the 20th annual Céfiro Conference, which focuses on Hispanic linguistic and cultural exchanges.
A graduate of Smithville High School and Malone University, Harker is the daughter of Brad and Lorna Harker, Marshallville, Ohio.
To learn more about competing for future Fulbright opportunities or other scholarships while a student at Kansas State University, contact Jim Hohenbary, director of the office of nationally competitive scholarships, at jimlth@k-state.edu. The deadline for the next round of Fulbright competition is Aug. 30.
