Nicole McElroy believed to be YSU’s first-ever Fulbright recipient

YOUNGSTOWN — Nicole McElroy has been learning German since junior high school, and she will soon get to put that knowledge to everyday use again when she moves to Germany for a year.

She will receive a bachelor of arts degree in German and sociology during spring commencement Saturday and has been awarded a Fulbright grant to teach English in a German high school during the 2009-10 academic year.

She’ll be on her way to Germany in a few weeks.

The Fulbright award, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, is one of the nation’s most prestigious honors for college students. Nationwide, more than 6,000 students apply annually for approximately 1,500 awards.

She is believed to be the first YSU student ever to receive a Fulbright grant, a university spokesman said.

Read more in Friday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com