As the year winds down and graduating seniors begin to make plans for their lives after Wheaton, some of those seniors are planning to use their time conducting independent research or teaching abroad.

This year, a total of four Wheaton students have been awarded Fulbright Scholarships, a program that provides grants for recent graduates to follow their passions abroad after graduation, whether they want to study independently or engage in English Teaching Assistantships in one of 65 locations around the world. This year’s Fulbright Scholars are Kristen Anderson ‘16, Nataja Flood ‘16, Kathryn Hegarty ‘16 and Elizabeth Hodge ‘16.

Senior Kristen Anderson will be one of the students taking advantage of the English Teaching Assistantships. A double major in English and education, Anderson will be teaching in Turkey. This is not her first experience teaching abroad, as she also taught as an English tutor in Italy during a semester abroad. Nataja Flood, a triple major in English, education, and African African American and diaspora studies, will also be taking on a teaching role. A Posse Scholar who is involved on campus in a number of ways, Flood will be teaching in Greece. Flood is also no novice to teaching abroad, as she participated in the Robert College Teaching program in Turkey.

Kathryn Hegarty is a double major in Hispanic Studies and biology, and will be taking advantage of her Fulbright Research Grant to study on Redang Island in Malaysia. Hegarty will be studying the nesting preferences of hawksbill sea turtles. Sea turtles are of particular interest to Hegarty, as she has studied them before on Cape Cod and wants to continue to work towards turtle preservation. After completing her Fulbright, Hegarty plans to continue to study marine biology. Elizabeth Hodge is a triple major in English, dance and mathematics and plans to complete her teaching assistant in Malaysia. Hodge has taught abroad before as well, as she completed a Davis International Fellowship directing an English education program in Mauritius.

Fulbright Fellowships are a way for Wheaton students to expand their perspective beyond the United States post-graduation and provide students with important experiences working abroad. This year’s Fulbright winners are sure to gain practical knowledge from their years spent overseas.