Scholar in German at YSU gets prestigious Fulbright

She is believed to be the first YSU student to receive the award, a spokesman said.

STAFF REPORT

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.

This won’t be McElroy’s first visit in Germany. She spent the 2006–07 academic year in Darmstadt, just south of Frankfurt, where she took classes at the Technical University of Darmstadt. The study in Germany was funded through a scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service.

“I am really glad that I came to YSU for my undergraduate work,” said McElroy, a Mentor High School graduate and recipient of the full–tuition University Scholars award at YSU. “I received a lot of individual attention here and was able to get very close with many of the professors and students.”

To be named University Scholar, applicants must have a minimum score of 28 out of a possible 36 on the ACT or 1860 out of a possible 2400 on the SAT college admission tests. They must also rank in the top 15 percent of their high school graduating classes. Only 40 scholars are picked annually.

In addition to full tuition, the University Scholar Award covers room and board costs and provides a stipend to buy textbooks. Recipients must maintain a 3.5 grade-point average and provide some form of community volunteer service.

McElroy said she hopes one day to teach on the university level.

She has been accepted into the MA/Ph.D. program in Germanic languages and literature at Ohio State University, where she also has a teaching assistantship. She will begin her studies at OSU after her one–year Fulbright assignment in Germany.

“The Fulbright program is extremely competitive,” said Jef Davis, director of the YSU Center for International Studies and Programs. “Nicole’s award is a testament to her hard work and talent and is a reflection of the quality of our students and YSU’s commitment to excellence.”

“Nicole has a very clear set of goals related to developing her language skills in German,” said Ron Shaklee, director of the YSU University Scholars and Honors programs. “All of her previous efforts as an undergraduate have led to this point where she has been awarded this singular honor of an undergraduate Fulbright teaching award.”