While in transit to a research conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico, napping Alpha Chi members were woken up by a declaration made by few.
“I’m a Fulbright scholar!”
Student Government Association vice president Skye Gill, senior English major from San Antonio, is ACU’s most recent Fulbright scholar. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is a highly competitive government-funded program that sends students around the world to conduct research or teach English.
“I really didn’t think I was going to get it,” Gill said.
She suddenly received the news two weeks ago and is now planning her 11-month-long stay in Taiwan.
The nature-poetry of Taiwanese writer, Liu Ka-shiang, drew Gill to the beauty of Taiwan, and the country’s sustainable practices and environmental initiatives affirmed her interests. She will begin her journey there in August to teach English.
Gill is currently pursuing a Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages certificate through ACU.
“TESOL is definitely the best thing that I’ve done to prepare me for Fulbright,” Gill said.
The certification process includes teaching Afghan refugees at the International Rescue Committee throughout the week. In Taiwan, Gill will be the foreigner.
Mandarin Chinese is the national language of Taiwan, which triggers nerves amidst Gill’s excitement. But she understands the merit of this challenge.
“I’m going to be the person who’s in a new country trying to learn the native language there,” Gill said. “I kind of get to experience and empathize with the people who are doing that in America.”
Gill’s spirit of empathy radiates to SGA President, Lindsey May, senior business management and marketing major from Dallas.
“Skye is a bottle of sunshine,” May said. “When she walks in the room, everything is instantly okay.”
She said there is no question as to why Gill received the scholarship.
“She goes out of her way to make sure that you feel loved,” May said.
This trait will travel overseas with Gill. With her public service minor, Gill said that she plans on doing volunteer work in underprivileged areas in Taiwan.
Gill said her service-minded perspective took root in her freshman cornerstone course with Bible professor, Dr. Vic McCracken.
“He had a huge influence in just me getting interested in just the world around me,” Gill said. “He’s been a big influence in where I am right now.”
Gill worked with McCracken as a volunteer in his scholastic chess club where he got to see Gill in the community working with children. He said he’s not very surprised that Gill received the scholarship.
“Skye is amazing,” McCracken said. “She very quickly stood out for her curiosity, her academic ability and just her general very high quality character.”
He said he believes this opportunity will illuminate Gill’s path to her future vocation. Though Gill is pleasantly unsure of where she’ll end up after Taiwan, she is considering law school and work in international affairs. Whatever she does, she intends to take her “whole new level of empathy for others” found in Taiwan with her.
“She’s one of the students that, when she graduates, I’m expecting really big things from her because she’s just demonstrated such an amazing combination of academic ability, but also character,” McCracken said. “She’s got a really bright future ahead of her.”
A Fulbright future.
