Monica McEnerny Receives Fulbright Specialist Program Award
Dr. Monica McEnerny, associate professor of Education, has received a Fulbright Specialist Program Award. McEnerny will work at the KIMEP Center for Educational Excellence with Kazakh graduate students who are teachers in the local schools.
“I have a strong connection with KIMEP University in Almaty, Kazakhstan. I visited on a Fulbright Specialist grant in Summer 2016, and I will reprise this role again in 2021,” McEnerny said.
Because of COVID-19, Fulbright has postponed all awards a year beyond the time frame of government restrictions. As a result, McEnerny plans to do this work in the summer of 2021.
McEnerny is one of two Castleton professors to receive a Fulbright Award this year. Dr. Christine Palmer – better known as Palmer to many around campus – has also been named a Fulbright Scholar and will engage in research in Iceland.
“The best part of my future visit will be connecting again with Kazakh participants I befriended back in 2016, as I am still in contact with several of them. I am also very excited to meet new teachers and gain a broader perspective of the world – particularly the world of education – from them,” McEnerny said. “My brother also lives in Almaty and is a professor there, so I look forward to catching up with him and his family.”
During McEnerny’s first visit to Almaty, she taught Educational Technology and Applied Linguistics in the MAFL (MA-TESOL) program, which trains English teachers in Kazakhstan and Central Asia.
During her upcoming visit, she will continue to communicate best practices in the field and to act as an ambassador for the American school system.
McEnerny said the Kazakh teachers are genuinely engaged and interested in American teaching and learning, history, and culture.
“I benefit greatly from those with whom I work. I am honored to mentor and support Kazakh teachers and colleagues and to learn from them,” McEnerny said. “I look forward to honing my Russian/Kazakh history and cultural knowledge and to sharpening my Russian language skills, as well.”
McEnerny said she will be eager to share her learning with the Castleton community when she returns.
"This award provides immeasurable possibilities for growth, both personally and professionally. It provides an opportunity for me to extend my understanding of the people and geography of the world, and it broadens my understanding of a globally connected humanity," she said.
The Fulbright Program is a prestigious flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government. It is administered through the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The Fulbright Program offers grants to provide students, scholars, teachers, artists, and scientists the opportunity to study, teach, and conduct research.
“I am deeply honored, and a little surprised because Fulbright is particularly selective when it comes to a second award. I feel very lucky to have been provided this opportunity,” McEnerny said.