A total of four IC students have received the honor since 2016, and that number is growing thanks to a program established by Stephen M. Tillery ’72 to launch IC’s top students toward success.

Hannah Turk ’18, who graduated in December 2018 with degrees in Spanish and education, received news in March that she would have the opportunity to spend a year teaching in an elementary school in the Canary Islands in Spain through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. 

“I’m still kind of shocked that I actually won. It’s a dream come true for me to return to Spain. I think just being there again is going to be really exciting, seeing all the places again and seeing all my friends that are there,” said Turk. Spain is a popular choice for Fulbright applicants, making Turk’s accomplishment all the more impressive. Of the more than 600 qualified applicants who have been reviewed this year, only about 20 percent have been selected as recipients.

Turk said that saying goodbye to the high school students she has spent a semester teaching in Beardstown will be bittersweet, but she believes the experience will help her grow as an educator. 

Michael Shereda ’19, a recent graduate with international studies and dual languages (Spanish and German) majors, also learned that he was a Fulbright recipient in March. He will travel to Germany through the same program this fall to serve as an English teaching assistant in a German school for one year. 

For any student, being selected for the Fulbright would be a huge accomplishment and honor, but for Shereda, a student for whom the prospect of even attending college seemed tenuous at one time, the achievement is even more remarkable.“When I was in high school, the thought of going to college at all was a far off dream. We didn’t have the money for it,” said Shereda, who recalls his first visit to Illinois College was as a candidate for the Trustee Scholarship, a prestigious and competitive full-tuition scholarship.

On that visit, Shereda was introduced to Dr. Almut Spalding, director of global programming and professor of world languages and cultures (German). “I sat down in her office and we talked about languages and travel. She told me about all of the opportunities IC offers for study abroad, something I had been hoping to do for years,” he recalls. “Almut made me feel as though that was something that I could achieve.”

Shereda was awarded the Trustee Scholarship and soon began his journey at IC. He excelled in Spanish and German language courses, became involved with the music department and choir and participated in service-learning such as a recent class trip to provide humanitarian aid in Puerto Rico. The most meaningful experience for Shereda came in the spring semester of his junior year when he was able to spend a semester in Heidelberg, Germany, a goal he had set on his first day visiting Illinois College.

“When I look back at my whole experience here at IC, it’s really seeing it as before and after study abroad,” he said. “I’m sure everyone says that, but it really was the most formative experience of my life so far. Finally going abroad for the first time and getting to live in another language everyday — it was just paradise.”

Both Shereda and Turk worked with Dr. Karen Dean and other faculty as part of IC’s Graduate Opportunities or Go! Program. Funded by Stephen Tillery ’72, this initiative launches IC's top students toward success within top-tier graduate and professional programs and as strong candidates for international scholarships. This is the first year for the program, which is already making a significant impact on the best and the brightest at Illinois College. 

Shereda also worked with Dr. Spalding; Dr. Diana Grullón-García, assistant professor of Spanish, and Dr. Christopher Oldenburg, associate professor of communication and rhetorical studies. For Turk, Dr. Amy Schwiderski, director of the Center for Academic Excellence and assistant professor of education, played an influential role, writing a recommendation for her Fulbright application and serving as a mentor. Dr. Steven Gardner, Francis McReynolds Smith Professor of International Understanding and Professor of World Languages and Cultures (Spanish), and Dr. Spalding were also influential in her path to the Fulbright.

Shereda looks forward to “building bridges between people and cultures through language.” He also hopes the experience will prepare him to achieve his next goal, completing graduate school and possibly taking the foreign service officer test to become a diplomat.

“I am working towards a career that allows me to travel and use language to further communication and cooperation at the international level,” said Shereda.