BFA ’16 Laura O’Connor Awarded Fulbright Grant

Laura O’Connor, who earned a bachelor’s degree in fine art in April with a master’s level certificate in Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages and minor in Spanish, will be teaching English at the Instituto de Educación Secundaria Bilingüe in Madrid, Spain.

“I am humbled to have been selected as a 2016 Fulbright grantee,” O’Connor said. “This grant provides the ideal opportunity for me to explore the multifaceted nature of communication by way of teaching language with the aid of performance and visual arts. As an artist, my practice is devoted to the importance of expression and communication across differing cultures and languages — a notion that I believe to be indispensable in the creation of a pluralistic and inclusive world. I feel very honored to join the Fulbright community, and I look forward to building lifelong relationships through mindful education and diplomacy.”

O’Connor is one of 10 Florida State University graduate students and recent alumni will study or teach English around the world during the 2016-2017 academic year as part of the Fulbright U.S. Student Program.

The program offers grants for U.S. graduating college seniors, graduate students, young professionals and artists to study, conduct research and/or teach English abroad for one year.

“The success of our students with the Fulbright U.S. Student Program illustrates their phenomenal achievements and academic preparation,” said Craig Filar, assistant dean of Undergraduate Studies and director of the Office of National Fellowships. “Once again, we will be sending some of our finest students to destinations around the world to research, create and teach. They will serve as ambassadors for both the country and for Florida State University.

Click here to read more about this year’s Fulbright recipients.