Wayne Native Awarded Fulbright Grant to Teach in Germany

Maggie O’Neill of Wayne, a member of the Boston College Class of 2013, has been awarded a J. William Fulbright grant, a post-baccalaureate teaching award given annually.

According to Boston College:

A German and International Studies double major, O’Neill graduated magna cum laude from Boston College on May 20. With her Fulbright award, she will travel to Germany and teach English. O’Neill, a 2009 graduate of Radnor High School, is the daughter of Brendan and Kim O’Neill of Wayne.

“I'm excited to have the opportunity to take part in the Fulbright Program because it's the perfect culmination of my four years at BC,” said O’Neill. “Not only will I be able to apply what I've learned through my International Studies and German curricula, but I've also been placed in Fulbright's Teaching Diversity program and will be working primarily with students from minority backgrounds. BC's emphasis on the education of the whole person has inspired me to take on this challenge and I am looking forward to continuing my education through linguistic and cultural immersion in Germany next year.”

While at Boston College, O’Neill served on the executive board of the BC German Club and was a group leader with the International Assistant Program. She was named a College of Arts & Sciences Dean’s Scholar, awarded an Advanced Study Grant for international research, and inducted into both the Phi Beta Kappa Society and the Golden Key International Honour Society. Following her Fulbright year, O’Neill plans to pursue a career in educational policy.

O’Neill is one of 23 Boston College students and alumni Fulbright recipients this year. Boston College is consistently among the nation's top producers of Fulbright award honorees.

The Fulbright Program was established in 1946, at the end of World War II, to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and other countries through the exchange of persons, knowledge and skills. The program honors Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas, long-time chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who sponsored the legislation establishing the program.