Stephanie Reeves '12 traveled throughout the world as a Global Scholar at Wilbraham & Monson Academy.
Four years after graduating from the Academy, Stephanie has earned another chance to travel outside the country – far, far outside the country.
Stephanie, who graduated from Connecticut College in May with a triple major, has been granted a U.S. Fulbright Student Program fellowship. She will teach English at the Kazan National Research Technological University, a school of 27,000 students located 500 miles east of Moscow, Russia.
"I was very excited when I found out I won a Fulbright scholarship," said Stephanie, who traveled to Russia, Italy and Spain as a WMA student. "I'm excited to go back to a place where I have learned so much and I've spent time in."
"With her creativity, passion and intelligence, Stephanie is an astute, motivated young women who always aspired to take her scholarship to the next level," said Ms. Meg Hutcheson, Stephanie's advisor. "At WMA, Stephanie was always asking tough questions, researching fascinating topics and fostering her global thinking. For her Global Scholar Capstone project in 2012, Stephanie wrote: On my travels to Russia this summer, I was acutely aware of the language differences. I've studied Latin, Spanish, and, more recently, Chinese, but Russian is in its own category. I hope to investigate further these issues of language and how its linguistic power can affect the success or decline of a culture."
Through various trips, Stephanie has already spent about eight months in Russia. For the Fulbright fellowship, she will spend 10 more months in the world's largest country, starting in September.
"I took the Russian language four years in college, I've studied abroad in St. Petersburg, and I worked for a summer at a Russian Academy of Sciences neuroscience institute in Moscow," she said. "I really wanted to go back."
And when she goes back, she'll be packing some specialized shoes so she can participate in something she's loved since a very young age.
"I'm hoping to dance a lot and continue my training," said Stephanie, who danced at WMA. "I've taken ballet and modern dance classes in St. Petersburg and Moscow. I'd like to get into the arts community in Kazan as well."