Mableton Woman Headed to Russia on Fulbright Scholarship

Amani Edwards, a senior at Beloit College from Mableton, has been awarded a Fulbright U.S. Student Program scholarship to become an English teaching assistant in Russia.

The modern languages major will be posted in Novosibirsk,which is located in Siberia. Edwards will begin her stay in September and be there through June of 2013.

In addition to the teaching assistantship, Edwards, who is a volleyball and track and field student, will conduct research on ethnic minority groups and language policy.

Edwards will be one of more than 1,700 U.S. citizens traveling abroad during the 2011-12 academic year as part of the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. Sponsored by the U.S. government, the Fulbright program is meant to foster intercultural understanding and operates in 155 countries worldwide.

Additionally, Edwards was also awarded the Blue Skies Award at Beloit's commencement on Sunday. The Warren Miller Blue Skies Award, named for a Beloit alumnus who is famous for his many New Yorker magazine cartoons, pays tribute to a member of the senior class who helped “foster good cheer, a good-humored perspective, and saving grace in the conduct of our daily lives together on campus.”

Beloit College is a residential, liberal arts college offering 40 majors to its 1,250 students. Located 90 miles northwest of Chicago, Beloit is one of the nation's most international colleges, drawing students from 41 nations as well as 49 states.