Senior Brigid Otieno Awarded Fulbright Scholarship
Brigid Otieno
Brigid Otieno ’09 was awarded a distinguished Fulbright Scholarship to teach English in South Korea for a year. Otieno, an international affairs major who was born in Kenya and grew up in upstate New York, is an Intelligence Scholar at Trinity. Last year she was selected to participate in the highly competitive Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Summer program at Howard University. She was recently elected to Phi Beta Kappa.
“Although I’ve done quite a bit of traveling, I wanted to explore a part of the world that I am unfamiliar with so I chose South Korea,” said Otieno, who studied abroad in Brussels during her sophomore year and in Morocco last summer. “As an avid traveler, I felt like I needed a challenge and a change so I could learn more about myself. I love languages and connecting with people and this scholarship offers the perfect opportunity to do both.”
She added that “I am very interested in grasping an Asian perspective of the world. I can’t wait to begin my adventure. After my year in Korea, I plan to pursue a graduate degree or a law degree; ultimately I am interested in a career in the U.S. Foreign Service.”
Otieno has had a very positive experience at Trinity. “My professors have been wonderful and the academic program has been excellent,” she said. “I have taken advantage of the many opportunities that Trinity has offered me. I have also made many friends here – I have really connected with other Trinity students.”
The Fulbright program, administered by the U.S. Department of State, is the flagship international educational program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.
Read more about Otieno, in her own words, on President McGuire’s blog.