Graduate Fellowships Reception
David Gunderman '15 (left), one of three Fulbright recipients, will be an English Teaching Assistant (ETA) in Germany. He said of the opportunity, 'Teaching is going to be a huge part of my career, and I need practice teaching in every context. I love teaching and spending time with students. I’m going into a career where I’m going to be teaching a lot, but mostly older students, possibly college and Ph.D. students. The fact that I will get to spend time with high school students, or younger, and interact with them is a big advantage and one of the reasons I pursued this.'
Indianapolis native Patrick Rezek '15 (left) also earned a Fulbright. He said, 'When you look at what a Fulbright is and what it has to offer, Wabash completely prepares you for that. Wabash gives students an opportunity to open doors that they might not think they can open. Wabash allows students to experiment, get your feet wet in different areas and to take on those challenges.'
Pierce Velderman '15 (right) earned a United States Teaching Assistantship at Austrian Secondary Schools fellowship and will be based in Vienna.
'I'm looking forward to taking math classes at a university in Berlin, perfecting my German language skills, and going off on the teacher tangent,' said Gunderman.
Ben Finley '15 (center) is one of three Wabash Fulbright winners in 2015. He said, 'It’s a huge honor. The biggest thing is that I get to operate as a cultural ambassador. I get to experience their culture, let them know about mine, and integrate as much as possible with young people.'
Luke Walker '15 (left) won a fellowship in the Teaching Assistant Program In France and will be based in Lille.
Prior to claiming his fellowship, Velderman also notably played Sky Masterson in the Wabash production of 'Guys and Dolls' in November.
Assistant Professor of Spanish Ivette de Assis-Wilson (left) is all smiles while talking with Rezek.
A native of Holland, MI, Velderman is a German major and music minor.
Associate Professor of Psychology Eric Olofson made an appearance at the reception.
Said Finley, 'It will be great to live abroad for a while. I like to be involved in things. I like being a part of something that is developing and growing. I like being a leader. To be able to do all of those things while being abroad is huge.'
Velderman is also a member of the Glee Club.
Assistant Professor of Chemistry Laura Wysocki (left) and Visiting Assistant Professor of Music Kristen Strandberg (center) chat with Gunderman.
'My teachers have had a huge impact on me, especially my German teachers,' said Gunderman. 'That’s one of the reasons I want to give back to the German community. Teaching will be really important for my career moving forward, as I plan to be a math professor at a university.'
Susan Albrecht, the Wabash Graduate Fellowship Advisor, said 'I would like to think that having six Fulbright recipients and a Rhodes Scholar in the past two years would signal to other Wabash students that our brightest and best scholars are true scholars – talented individuals with tremendous gifts to offer – who compete with anyone. My hope is that more of our young men will realize this and put forth their own candidacy for a Fulbright or other major fellowship.'
Finley said of being abroad: 'Friction creates growth. That’s what I’ve seen in my Wabash experience and abroad. I created a social network and got involved in leadership positions, and tried to do the same thing in Spain – meet as many people as possible and get involved in activities and events and really branch out.'
Walker is also the Colllege's first-ever Electronic Music minor.
The Lilly Library housed the gathering.
Associate Professor of Mathematics & Computer Science Chad Westphal speaks with Gunderman.
Associate Professor of Art History Elizabeth Morton talks with Olofson.
Gunderman earned Double Distinction as a mathematics and German double major.
(From left): Rezek, Morton, Wysocki, and Walker share an engaging moment.
One of Walker's electronic music compositions has been accepted for performance at the 2015 New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival.
Velderman will work as a secondary school teaching assistant while in Austria.