Another Fulbright Scholar for the Class of 2012

Published: April 13, 2021

Shannon Nakai has been awarded a Fulbright Scholarship. She will use her award to teach English at a university in Turkey. Nakai is the second member of Greenville College's Class of 2012 to receive the prestigious award. Earlier this spring, Joshua Cranston learned that he had received a Fulbright Scholarship to fund his research in Oslo, Norway.

Nakai will travel to Turkey for ten months beginning this September where she will teach in a university classroom 20 hours a week and spend another 20 hours a week preparing for class and conducting research that pertains to her interests in literature. Her work in Greenville College's Intensive English Learning Program proved timely. "My experience as an English instructor for the new program under David Yan has enabled me to teach college-level courses with our Chinese freshmen."

"My overall dream," said Nakai, "is getting together with eager minds in a college classroom, uncovering backgrounds and unpacking big ideas from a specific body of literature." Eventually, she would like to study English literature in graduate school and share her knowledge through classrooms in other cultures.

Nakai credits Dean of the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences Brad Shaw with influencing her pursuit of a Fulbright Scholarship. "There were many appointments involving us mapping all the possible opportunities and avenues across the globe for me to pursue my interests," she said.

Fulbright offers competitive, merit-based grants for students, scholars, teachers, professionals and groups. "The award is a high singular honor for our students," said Shaw. "It reflects the high quality of a Greenville College education." Proposals pass through several stages in the competitive process before being chosen by international Fulbright selection committees for funding.