Five members of the Class of ’13 are heading to the far corners of the globe to research and teach as Fulbright Scholars.

Ron Pitcock, director of prestigious scholarships and J. Vaughn and Evelyne H. Wilson Honors Fellow in the John V. Roach Honors College, says it’s the largest number of Fulbright recipients in one year in TCU history.

He says one reason more Frogs are becoming Fulbrighters is because the program’s mission to encourage global exchange of ideas dovetails with TCU’s mission, which emphasizes global citizenship.

“From the moment our students enter TCU they are thinking of not only of their own education in the classroom but also of the global impact of what they’re learning and what responsibility they have on a global level to improve the world and to educate others,” he said. “That’s the mission of the Fulbright. So TCU students, starting their freshman year, are thinking in these ways and ultimately becoming great Fulbright candidates.”

Pitcock says 25 students applied for the Fulbright program in October — 12 of those were chosen as finalists and five were selected and two other students, Bill Hamlett and Kelly Turner, are alternates. In addition, Jack Hill, professor of religion, was granted a Fulbright Visiting Professorship for 2013-2014 at Aberdeen University in Scotland.

Here is a rundown of this year’s Fulbright Frogs:

Will Hopper

Entrepreneurial management major Will Hopper of Canyon, Texas, will be teaching English in Malaysia. He was inspired by a charter school he visited last summer in Chile, where the students learned entrepreneurial skills by operating an organic farm and selling their goods.

“I was so inspired by this model that I proposed implementing a similar model in Malaysia to help students learn English and business skills at the same time,” he said.

Lyndsey Evans

Journalism major Lyndsey Evans of Austin will be an English language teacher in Thailand and will also be teaching documentary filmmaking skills to students there.

Evans grew up with Taiwanese, Chinese and Japanese students living with her family because her uncle and aunt were missionaries for Southeast Asian cultures. She also mentored a Thai family through Refugee Services of Texas.

She is excited about combining her interest in journalism and documentary filmmaking with mentoring others.

“I want to be a missionary and to make videos,” she added. “This is a step in that direction.”

Emma Land

German and political science major Emma Land from Oklahoma City will be traveling to Germany to teach and will also research the nation’s Green Party movement and its impact on national politics.

“I wrote my senior thesis on the Green Party so my side project will be working with the local chapter there,” she said.

Margaret Fleming

An English and Spanish double major from Dallas, Fleming will be teaching in Mexico.

“I chose to apply because I wanted to gain more fluency in the Spanish language and act as an ambassador for my country,” Fleming told the TCU Daily Skiff.  “After spending five months living and studying in Nicaragua in the spring of my junior year, I realized how important it is that we, as United States citizens, represent our country in a positive manner.”

Fleming said she hopes to complete a creative writing portfolio of poetry and non-fiction that documents her experiences in Mexico as a side project.

Taylor Joyce

A childhood education major from Overland Park, Kan., Joyce will teach English language in a South Korean elementary school.

Joyce’s assignment will consist of 20 hours of classroom teaching per week plus additional time for class preparation and school-related activities. Joyce will participate in activities outside the program to get more involved in the South Korean community.

“I will also be taking Taekwondo and cooking classes to become immersed in the culture,” he told the Skiff.

On the Web:
For more about the Fulbright student program, go to us.fulbrightonline.org.