Jemedy Lwimbo of Tanzania, East Africa has been awarded a Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant (FLTA) Program grant that allows him to facilitate with the instruction of Jackson State University students in the learning of Swahili for the 2016-2017 academic year.
While in the United States, Lwimbo will share his language and culture with JSU students to inspire travel and study overseas, and constructively prepare university scholars to engage with businesses, governments and organizations abroad.
“We are delighted that Mr. Lwimbo will be a part of the Jackson State University family as a teaching assistant in language through the Fulbright Program. As we engage in our mission to develop global leaders, we pride ourselves on being an open community that welcomes international students and academics to share the richness of their cultures as a part of a diverse learning environment,” said JSU President Carolyn W. Meyers.
The 27-year old Lwimbo holds a Bachelor of Arts in Education from Tanzania’s University of Dar Es Salaam and plans to take JSU courses in French, Spanish and sign language.
After being presented with the option to attend several other major institutions throughout the nation, Lwimbo had a challenging decision to make.
“When I filled out my application with Fulbright, they gave me five universities in America to select from, including one in Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, Indiana and Jackson State,” said Lwimbo, “I went online to check the details of the universities, and I was very interested in Jackson State.”
A robust desire for insight into black history and culture in America was one of the motivations that led Lwimbo to attend the HBCU. “We have a different view, back in Africa, about being black in America and it’s really not the reality,” he said.
Arriving in Jackson on Aug. 15, Lwimbo takes daily walks around the campus eager to embrace his new surroundings. “The people, they are very nice. If you ask them something, they are happy to help you, so I feel like I’m home,” he said.
Lwimbo is one of nearly 400 young educators from 50 countries who have traveled to the United States for the 2016-2017 academic year. Through the Fulbright FLTA Program, they will help internationalize U.S. colleges and universities – a key goal of many institutions as they prepare students for the 21st-century workforce and globalized world.
Recipients of Fulbright FLTA grants are selected on the basis of academic and professional achievement as well as demonstrated leadership potential. Fulbright FLTA scholarships are awarded by the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.
The Fulbright Program was established in 1946 under legislation introduced by U.S. Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas. The Fulbright Program has given approximately 360,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists and scientists the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.
In the coming year, grant recipients from East Asia and the Pacific; Europe and Eurasia; the Middle East and North Africa; South and Central Asia; and Sub-Saharan Africa will contribute to U.S. students’ foreign language acquisition in more than 30 languages at over 200 U.S. institutions.
The primary source of funding for the Fulbright Program is an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State. Participating governments, universities, corporations and foundations in foreign countries and in the United States also provide direct and indirect support.
Fulbright FLTA recipients are among over 50,000 individuals participating in U.S. Department of State exchange programs each year. The Fulbright FLTA Program is administered by the Institute of International Education.
Fulbright alumni have achieved distinction in government, science, the arts, business, philanthropy, education and many other fields. Fifty-three Fulbright alumni from 13 countries have been awarded the Nobel Prize, and 82 alumni have received Pulitzer Prizes.
Prominent Fulbright alumni include: Muhammad Yunus, founder of Grameen Bank and 2006 Nobel Peace Prize recipient; Juan Manuel Santos, President of Colombia; John Hope Franklin, noted American historian and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient; Riccardo Giacconi, physicist and 2002 Nobel Laureate; Amar Gopal Bose, founder of Bose Corporation; Renée Fleming, soprano; Jonathan Franzen, writer; and Daniel Libeskind, architect.
For further information about the Fulbright FLTA Program, visit: https://eca.state.gov/fulbright https://foreign.fulbrightonline.org/