Four USC students will gain multicultural experiences next year with research and teaching assignments abroad as Fulbright Scholars.

Caitlin Coker, Mandy Corbett, Patrick McQuinn, and Alexis Stratton are USC's latest Fulbright winners, bringing the total to 27 since the establishment of the Office of Fellowships and Scholar Programs in 1994.

Fulbright grants are awarded to students who plan to pursue graduate study or research in academic fields, for professional training in the creative and performing arts, and for teaching assistantships abroad.

Coker will graduates in May with double majors in English and dance and will spend next year in Japan investigating how Japanese contemporary dance embodies the culture of a Japanese city. While at USC she has been a member of the USC Dance Company and the Borena West African Drum and Dance Ensemble, a cultural reporter for The Gamecock newspaper, and vice president and co-founder of the USC Swing Dance Club. After her Fulbright year, Coker plans to begin a Ph.D. program in dance history and theory.

Mandy Corbett completed double majors in international business and finance from USC in May 2005. As a Fulbrighter, she will research the impact that relaxed restrictions on foreign banks operating in China will have on Chinese consumers. As an undergraduate she received the Freeman-Asia Scholarship and studied in China and was a member of Beta Sigma Gamma and Golden Key International Honor Society. Corbett continues to serve as an English Programs for Internationals conversation partner while working in the USC Office of International Programs for Students. She plans to complete a master's degree in international business administration and work for an international bank operating in China.

Patrick McQuinn, a graduating Honors College senior in civil and environmental engineering, will be a Fulbright Teaching Assistant in Germany next year. While at USC McQuinn has been a WUSC campus radio DJ, a member of Pi Mu Epsilon Honor Society, Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society, American Society of Civil Engineers, and Campus Crusade for Christ. Nearly fluent in German, he plans to work for a large international engineering firm.

Stratton is a USC McNair Scholar and Honors College student and will graduate this May with a degree in English. She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Who's Who Among Students in American Colleges and Universities. She has been awarded the Fulbright Grant to teach English to secondary school students in South Korea. At USC, Stratton has been musical director of the Cocktails a cappella group, Methodist Student Network co-president, Alpha Phi Omega Service vice president, The Gamecock student newspaper assistant news editor, Garnet and Black features writer, and a study abroad peer advisor. She plans to pursue a master's or doctoral degree in education or a social science field.

4/06