Kansas State University graduate receives Fulbright teaching assistantship to Germany
Friday, Sept. 18, 2015
MANHATTAN — A May 2015 Kansas State University bachelor's graduate received a timely learning opportunity in August to explore Germany as the country plays an important role in hosting refugees from the Middle East and Eastern Europe.
Hannah Rogers, Colorado Springs, Colorado, who earned her degree in modern languages-German, received a Fulbright teaching assistantship to teach English for 10 months in Ahlbeck, a German city on the island of Usedom in the Baltic Sea. She started the assistantship Sept. 4.
"Germany is experiencing an increase of asylum seekers from Syria, the Ukraine and other countries," Rogers said. "The country is making decisions today that will affect all future European generations, and I am lucky to be able to learn and observe from how Germany is handling an extraordinary moment in history."
Fulbright U.S. Student Grants offer international travel for study, research or teaching English as a second language. Scholars receive round-trip transportation, tuition and a monthly stipend for one academic year abroad.
"I applied for a German Fulbright because it was an opportunity to use my degree in German to its full potential," Rogers said. "While I am here this year, I will not only help my students learn more about America and the English language, but I will be able to pursue a higher level of my own German and its culture."
The Fulbright program aims to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. It was established under legislation introduced by late Sen. J. William Fulbright of Arkansas and is administered by the Institute of International Education. Fulbright recipients are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement as well as leadership potential.
The assistantship will give Rogers an in-depth experience of the German culture that will complement her degree and undergraduate research project regarding the Brothers Grimm German fairy tales. Rogers researched two tales that portray a loss of innocence and a threat of violence for the main female character. Her research discusses the potential use of the tales for creative therapy for victims of incest and sexual abuse.
"I really want to thank the teachers from the modern language department, especially the German professors," Rogers said. "They are incredibly encouraging and go above and beyond to help you find your niche and further your dreams."
Rogers served as president of the Kansas State University German Club and a member of three academic honor societies: Phi Kappa Phi, Phi Beta Kappa and the National Society for Collegiate Scholars. Her additional honors and awards include the Patti Johnson Wilson Scholarship, the Harold Happ Arnold Scholarship and Congress Bundestag Youth Exchange. She is a 2010 graduate of Coronado High School in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and the daughter of Jeffrey and Pege Rogers, Colorado Springs, Colorado.
