Upper Nyacker Wins Fulbright Fellowship

NEW LONDON, Conn. — Savitri Arvey, a resident of Upper Nyack and a senior at Connecticut College, has been selected to receive a U.S. Fulbright Student Program grant to teach English in Mexico for an academic year.

Fulbright fellows receive round-trip transportation to the host country, a living stipend, research allowances and medical insurance. Arvey is one of nine Connecticut College seniors and recent alumni to be selected to receive a fellowship this year.

“The Fulbright is a strong complement to the Connecticut College liberal arts experience, and to receive nine in one year is a testament to the College’s commitment to educate our students to be active citizens in a global society,” Connecticut College President Leo I. Higdon Jr. said. “I am very proud of these talented students and young alumni – for all they have accomplished and for the success I know they will achieve during their fellowships and beyond.” 

Arvey, an international relations major and scholar in Connecticut College’s Toor Cummings Center for International Studies and the Liberal Arts (CISLA), will teach English at a university or teachers college in Mexico. She plans to work with her students on a photo documentary project to investigate issues specific to their local community.

“I became interested in critical education and the Mexican education system while taking Professor [Michael] James’ ‘Revolutionary Education’ class last year,” Arvey said. “A Fulbright seemed like the perfect way to pursue both of these interests.

Arvey said her experiences conducting research, studying and interning in Latin America through the CISLA program, as well as volunteering in local schools and as a tutor, have prepared her well for the Fulbright program. Following her Fulbright year, she plans to attend graduate school.

Arvey will graduate from Connecticut College on Sunday, May 20.