FSCC alumnae students receive national honors

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Two former Fort Scott Community College students recently received special recognition.

LaRue

Jacqueline LaRue, a former student in the FSCC agriculture program, has received a Fulbright Scholarship that she will use to spend one year teaching English to South Koreans. LaRue attended FSCC on a meats judging scholarship and graduated in 2006. She then transferred to Kansas State University and graduated with a degree in agricultural education.

"I was overwhelmed," LaRue said about receiving the award. "When I applied, I never thought that I would get it. Now I actually get to spend the next year teaching in another country."

In order to be considered for the scholarship, LaRue had to submit an application, gather three letters of recommendation, write two essays, and be interviewed by a panel of judges. Now that she has been chosen to receive this prestigious award, LaRue will leave July 3 to spend the next year in South Korea teaching conversational English. She asked to be placed in a rural area so she will get the chance to study the local agriculture.

"I'm anxious and nervous about the language, and being so close to North Korea," she said.

LaRue said the most challenging scholarship requirement was the essays, one of which included her reasons for wanting to travel to South Korea, information on the literacy rate in the country and how its educational system differs from the U.S. educational system, and a second essay detailing her personal history, background, and subjects she studied in school.

During her time at FSCC, LaRue competed on the college's meats judging team and was also involved in the band, two educational experiences that she said have helped her since graduating from the two-year college.

"Having those two really broad experiences gave me confidence to apply for this scholarship," she said. "Meats judging made me a more competitive person."

While in South Korea, LaRue said she will attend an orientation to learn the country's alphabet and language, and she will eventually be placed in a high school in South Korea where she will teach English as a Second Language.

The Fulbright Program is sponsored by the United States Department of State and is the largest U.S. international exchange program offering opportunities for students, scholars, and professionals to undertake international graduate study, advanced research, university teaching, and teaching in elementary and secondary schools worldwide, according to the Web site, www.us.fulbrightonline.org.

Shaw

Rachel Shaw, another alumnus of the FSCC meats judging program, also received recognition this year when she received an internship with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Shaw graduated from FSCC this spring and will continue her academic career at Colorado State University next year as an animal science major.

"I feel really great about it (receiving the internship)," she said.

Shaw, who is currently working on the internship in Denver, Colo., said some of her future career goals include working for the USDA as a grader. She applied for the USDA internship because upon completion of the program, her chances of landing a job afterward will increase.

To be awarded the internship, Shaw had to complete an interview process and submit paperwork, the latter of which she said was the most challenging. An advantage of the USDA internship program is that USDA will pay up to $15,000 of Shaw's student loans, an FSCC statement said.

To complete the internship, Shaw must work 10-13 weeks, which she will complete this summer and next summer. Shaw is spending the first three weeks of the internship in classroom training, and will spend the remaining weeks working in the field with a mentor and applying what they have learned in the classroom.

"They'll (mentors) basically teach me what they know and I'll follow them through the entire process so I can learn different aspects of the job they're doing," she said.

To complete the classroom work, Shaw said participants must score at least a 75 percent or higher on periodic tests that are given. Trainees must score at least an 80 percent or higher on a final test to complete the internship, she said.

Experience and knowledge that she obtained at FSCC has been beneficial for her during her work on the internship, Shaw said.

"We had some really good advisors (at FSCC), and a really good coach," she said. "I have an advantage on the internship because I've already learned some of the stuff."