GMHS Music Teacher and Band Director, Mary Jo West has been selected for the Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms, a program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.
Ms. West is one of approximately 71 U.S. citizens who will travel abroad through the Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms Program. Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected based on academic and professional achievement and a record of service, and demonstrated leadership potential.
The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S government and was created to increase mutual understanding and build lasting connections between the people of the United States and other countries' people. 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’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA). Since its inception in 1946, the Fulbright Program has given over 390,000 passionate and accomplished students, scholars, teachers, artists, and professionals of all backgrounds and fields the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to important international problems. The global network of Fulbrighters fosters mutual understanding between the United States and partner nations, advances knowledge across communities, and improves lives worldwide.
Fulbrighters address critical global challenges in all fields while building relationships, knowledge, and leadership to support the long-term interests of the United States. Fulbright alumni have achieved distinction in many areas and include 60 Nobel Prize laureates, 75 MacArthur Foundation Fellows, and 37 who have served as a head of state or government. Eighty-six Fulbright alumni have won a total of 91 Pulitzer Prizes.
Fulbright is active in more than 160 countries worldwide and partners with participating governments, host institutions, corporations, and foundations in foreign countries and the United States. Many of these organizations also provide direct and indirect support. ECA sponsors the Fulbright Program, and several non-profit, cooperative partners implement and support the program on the Bureau’s behalf.
The Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms Program is a year-long professional development opportunity for U.S. elementary, middle, and high school teachers to develop skills for preparing students for a competitive global economy. The program equips teachers to bring an international perspective to their schools through targeted training, experience abroad, and global collaboration.
For further information about the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State, please visit http://eca.state.gov/fulbright or contact the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Press Office at ECA-Press@state.gov.