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Ferris Student Awarded Fulbright Scholarship to Teach in South Korea

Danielle VoorhiesFerris State University graduating senior Danielle Voorhies has been awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to teach English in South Korea. Voorhies, of Grand Haven, will leave in July for the 12-month program.

The Political Science major, who graduated this spring with a Bachelor of Science degree, was selected for an English Teaching Assistantship through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. The highly competitive grant program sends qualified, motivated students to more than 140 countries to engage in projects that enhance cultural awareness and mutual understanding.

Voorhies, who has been studying Korean since she was a freshman in high school and has previously visited the country, will be helping South Korean students learn English as a second language. She will document her experience in a blog on the university’s Office of International Education website: www.ferris.edu/international.

“I am so incredibly honored to be in the prestigious Fulbright Scholar program. It still feels unreal,” said Voorhies, who will live with a host family in a rural community. “I read the email stating that I received the grant at least 50 times before I was sure that I read it correctly. I have not gotten used to saying that I am Fulbright Scholar, and every time I think about it, I get excited all over again.”

Voorhies, who earned an associate’s degree in Pre-Criminal Justice in 2011, is the founder and president of FSUbuntu (Future Scholars Ubuntu), a Registered Student Organization dedicated to creating international awareness on campus and promoting student development through global experiences.

The young RSO earlier this year received a $2,000 grant from the United States Institute of Peace to bring three Fulbright scholars to campus to speak.

Voorhies was honored earlier this year with the Office of Multicultural Student Services’ Progressive Woman Award and was a nominee for its Martin Luther King Jr. Legacy Award. She has earned Dean’s List honors for eight consecutive semesters.

During her time at Ferris, Voorhies’ campus involvement has included participation on several committees and organizations. She serves as president of the Circle of Tribal Nations RSO and is vice president of Ferris’ chapter of the Business Professionals of America.

When she returns from South Korea, Voorhies plans to attend law school and major in international corporate law.

“I want to be able to fulfill my passion of helping local businesses navigate international trade laws in order to have access to international resources,” she said.

The Fulbright Program is a prestigious, merit-based grant program sponsored by the United States Government that is designed to promote mutual understanding between nations.

Ferris has more than 20 Fulbright scholars on its staff. In addition to Voorhies, Daniel Ding, a professor of English in the College of Arts, Sciences and Education, recently was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to teach at the University of Debrecen in Hungary, and College of Business professor Greg Gogolin, who works with the university’s Information Security and Intelligence program, received a Fulbright award to work in Chile.