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Christina Phillip Receives Fulbright to Teach in Brazil

Christina Phillip was also honored as one of the top college students in Illinois, by the Lincoln Academy of Illinois in the fall of her senior year. She is pictured at the ceremony at the Old State Capitol in Springfield with Dr. Charles Peterson (left), dean of the colleges of arts and sciences at ºÚÁϳԹÏ.

Fourth member of 2015 graduating class chosen for program

CHICAGO (October 8, 2015) — 2015 graduate Christina Phillip had never heard of the Fulbright Program before she came to ºÚÁϳԹÏ. But the and double major grew up travelling with her parents, and spent a gap year between high school and college in Honduras, Kenya, and Thailand.

“Whether it was teaching English or doing community work, I had the desire to live abroad after college,” she says. “It was just a matter of how.”

A conversation her freshman year with , professor of Spanish and Fulbright Program associate, helped guide Phillip’s path. Parkyn introduced her to the Fulbright Program, the largest U.S. international exchange program offering opportunities for students, scholars, and professionals to undertake international graduate study, advanced research, university teaching, and teaching in elementary and secondary schools worldwide. The program was established by the U.S. Congress in 1946, and is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State.

Phillip became the fourth North Park student from the 2015 graduating class, and 16th student in the last seven years, to be chosen for the Fulbright program. This coming February, she will embark on a journey to Brazil, where she will teach English as a Second Language.

“I am so excited to learn the culture and to travel,” she says. “I’m also looking forward to establishing a home there. The program is 11 months long, so it’s plenty of time to establish a home and become part of the community.”

As she prepares for Brazil, Phillip is gaining firsthand classroom experience in her hometown high school in Hinsdale, Ill. This fall, she is teaching English Language Learning to a variety of students with different ages and experience levels.

“I’m teaching where I went to high school, which was weird at first,” Phillip admits. “I’m still reintroducing myself to my old teachers who are now my colleagues, and they’re asking me to call them by their first names. At the same time, it’s a familiar environment where I already feel accepted and supported.”

She says her training at ºÚÁÏ³Ô¹Ï prepared her not only for her current position, but also for what is to come in Brazil. “I feel that overall I am pretty confident of my experience at ºÚÁÏ³Ô¹Ï and the teaching practica that were a part of it.”

Parkyn describes Phillip as resourceful and well prepared for the opportunity in Brazil. “Christina tailored her experiences at ºÚÁÏ³Ô¹Ï in this direction,” Parkyn says. “She is eager to know students in an international context, and I have no doubt she will be engaging and welcoming in the classroom. A more prepared candidate would be hard to find. The ºÚÁÏ³Ô¹Ï Fulbright Campus Committee gave her our highest recommendation."

To learn more about ºÚÁϳԹϒs Fulbright recipients, including Phillip’s classmates from the Class of 2015, read the .

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