K-State students to serve as US cultural, academic ambassadors through Fulbright Program awards
Friday, May 3, 2024
Kylie Litavniks and Jeremy Kamman will travel internationally as cultural and academic ambassadors as part of awards through the Fulbright Program.
MANHATTAN — Two Kansas State University students have been selected for awards through the Fulbright Program, the U.S. government's flagship international academic exchange program.
Kylie Litavniks, Andover, and Jeremy Kamman, Antioch, Illinois, will travel to Taiwan and North Macedonia, respectively, as part of Fulbright's prestigious network of cultural exchange programs and bilateral commissions, meant to increase understanding, friendship and diplomacy between the U.S. and other countries.
Litavniks and Kamman are stellar examples of K-State students who continue to explore the world with the solid foundation provided by their university studies and activities, said Beth Powers, director of Scholar Development and Undergraduate Research at K-State.
"Jeremy’s experience as a DAAD RISE summer researcher in Germany along with his work as a physics teaching assistant give him an excellent base for this next adventure in North Macedonia," Powers said. "Kylie’s internships with the Departments of State and Homeland Security along with her tutoring of K-State athletes provide her with a background to make a positive impact teaching English in Taiwan and beyond."
Kylie Litavniks
Litavniks, senior in finance, political science and French with a secondary major in international and area studies, is receiving an English Teaching Flagship award from the Foundation for Scholarly Exchange, or Fulbright Taiwan.
She will travel to Taiwan in August and spend 11 months working with elementary and middle school-aged students on English skills, as part of the foundation's partnership with Taiwan's Ministry of Education to make the country bilingual by 2030.
At K-State, Litavniks has been involved in and served as a leader for several campus organizations, including Alpha Delta Pi, Blue Key Senior Honorary, Chimes Junior Honorary, the College of Business Ambassadors and International Buddies. She has also worked as a tutor for K-State student athletes and class facilitator for Catalyst, a leadership development program for underclassmen.
In addition to her on-campus experiences, Litavniks has had extensive experiences working in national and international relations, having internships in the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. House of Representatives.
Litavniks said her Fulbright experience will give her an opportunity to serve as a cultural ambassador of the U.S. — an experience she hopes she can use as a springboard into a career in international public service.
"As someone who wants to work as a Foreign Service Officer for the U.S. Department of State, I felt that this would be the perfect opportunity to grow as an individual and develop interpersonal cross-cultural skills while working with students," Litavniks said.
Litavniks is a graduate of Andover Central High School and daughter of Andris and Linda Litavniks, both of Andover.
Jeremy Kamman
Kamman, senior in physics and international studies, will travel to North Macedonia as part of a nine-month assistantship that will start in October.
His travel and English expenses will be paid for by a Fulbright U.S. Student Program English Teaching Assistantship.
As a K-State student, Kamman has been a member and leader of student organizations such as the Honors House, the Physics Club and the College of Arts and Sciences Alumni-to-Student Mentorship Committee. He represented the college as a student senator in the Student Governing Association and served as a justice for the Student Tribunal.
He has also served as a physics teaching assistant and physics education researcher, working with Loren Greenman, associate professor of physics, on computational atomic, molecular and optical physics, and Andrew Long, associate professor of political science, on a project to examine coercive diplomacy.
In summer 2023, Kamman worked with theoretical physicist and research mentor Mike Bruckhoff at University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany to study computational materials physics. The research trip took place with the support of the German Academic Exchange Service, also known as DAAD, and its Research Internships in Science and Engineering program, or RISE Germany.
"I am thrilled to engage in a cultural exchange with the people of North Macedonia through the Fulbright program," Kamman said. "I aim to combine my background in physics and international studies in a career of physics policy on an international level. My time teaching English in North Macedonia and immersing myself in their culture will enhance my cultural competency and bolster my abilities of international collaboration."
Kamman is a graduate of Carmel Catholic High School in Mundelein, Illinois, and son of Doug and Susan Kamman, both of Antioch, Illinois.
