Strategic Communication major Claire Duerson receives Fulbright award

FORT WORTH, Texas—TCU student Claire Duerson will travel to South Korea later this year, as recipient of a Fulbright award. Duerson’s passion for education inspired her application to the Fulbright English Teaching Assistant program. She is the third TCU student to win a Fulbright award to South Korea in the past six years and the first TCU student to receive final notification of the award in 2018.

“With today’s technology, our world is constantly connected and in motion,” Duerson said. “As a strategic communication major, I learned that effectively engaging with a global audience means using new media to create innovative stories that transcend traditional communication and language barriers.”

Duerson is a political science minor and future laureate of the John V. Roach Honors College. She said she is fascinated by Korea’s high-achieving academic environment because this culture reflects her parents’ academic expectations. She hopes to instill a sense of value in her students by creating a positive and personal learning environment, while also equipping them to use the English language.

In addition to living with a host family for this immersion experience, Duerson plans to volunteer with an anti-trafficking organization in Korea. This experience will prepare her for future opportunities in an advocacy career. She also desires to gain a confident understanding of the Korean language while exploring rich cultural experiences, like Buchaechum dancing.

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program aims to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. Fulbright award recipients join the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government. They assist local English teachers and act as cultural ambassadors for the United States.

Fulbright Program alumni have become heads of state, judges, ambassadors, cabinet ministers, CEOs, and university presidents, as well as leading journalists, artists, scientists, and teachers. They include 59 Nobel Laureates, 82 Pulitzer Prize winners, 71 MacArthur Fellows, 16 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients, and thousands of leaders across the private, public and nonprofit sectors. Since its inception in 1946, more than 380,000 “Fulbrighters” have participated in the program.