Student selected for Fulbright Summer Institute
Maria Jernigan will spend the summer immersed in swordplay and scene rehearsals.
Jernigan. a Virginia Tech junior majoring in philosophy, theatre arts, and Spanish from Virginia Beach, will be attending the Fulbright Summer Institute hosted at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London. She is a University Honors student.
The American Institute of Foreign Study (AIFS) Summer Institute at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre is a three-week program focused on acting and understanding Shakespeare texts. Jernigan will interact with professional actors, partake in workshops, and watch performances.
"I am incredibly excited to delve into Shakespeare’s work while surrounded by British culture," Jernigan said. "I look forward to exploring how we can maintain the integrity of Shakespeare's timeless works while still keeping it relevant for contemporary audiences."
Jernigan was selected from a competitive pool of applicants. Each year, approximately 60 undergraduate students attend Summer Institute programs held throughout the United Kingdom. Participants are chosen based on qualities such as academic excellence, extracurricular and community activities, and ambassadorial skills.
The Global Education Office at Virginia Tech supports an average of 1,300 students a year, including exchange students from partner institutions around the world. The office advises students as they navigate an array of study abroad opportunities including the Fulbright Program.
Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech takes a hands-on, engaging approach to education, preparing scholars to be leaders in their fields and communities. As the commonwealth’s most comprehensive university and its leading research institution, Virginia Tech offers 240 undergraduate and graduate degree programs to more than 31,000 students and manages a research portfolio of $513 million. The university fulfills its land-grant mission of transforming knowledge to practice through technological leadership and by fueling economic growth and job creation locally, regionally, and across Virginia.
