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Alex Ash ?16 (right) with fellow Fullbright Alumni Ambassador Benjamin Simington ?15. Alex Ash ’16 (right) with fellow Fullbright Alumni Ambassador Benjamin Simington ’15.As a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant, Alex Ash ’16 devoted his time to teaching English to Thai students in Si Racha, a town on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand, about 75 miles southeast of the capital, Bangkok. He has now been selected to serve as a Fulbright Alumni Ambassador. Only about twenty former Fulbright Fellows nationwide are chosen each year to serve as Alumni Ambassadors. The role of an Alumni Ambassador is to promote awareness of Fulbright opportunities and provide guidance to American students preparing to participate in the program. According to the Fulbright website, they “provide testimonials about their Fulbright experiences at conferences and campus presentations and offer application tips.” They serve as mentors, are available to answer questions that may come up, and are chosen to represent the diversity of those selected for Fulbright Fellowships. Mr. Ash is Carthage’s second Fulbright Alumni Ambassador, after Benjamin Simington ’15, who completed a Fulbright research fellowship in Varanasi, India.

Inspired by experiences on a J-Term trip to Germany, Mr. Ash had the idea to use American films to help students practice their skills in a way that catered to their interests. While in Thailand, he connected with the community of Si Racha, spending time with neighbors and students outside of school hours, and studied Thai language.

For Mr. Ash, this role as Fulbright Alumni Ambassador will build on his experiences in Thailand, at Carthage, and as a teacher in an elementary classroom for students with special needs and English language learners. During his time at Carthage, he served as a Fellow in the Brainard Writing Center, was president and co-founder of Students Against Sexism in Society, and earned a degree in communication with a minor in women’s and gender studies. While in Thailand, Mr. Ash completed an internship at an English language magazine in the city of Chiang Mai researching the future of democratic elections in Thailand. Mr. Ash is currently working in Quality Assurance at the software company Epic Systems in Verona, Wisconsin.

“My experience with the Fulbright Program exposed me to different ways of thinking and valuing systems, which has greatly impacted my own perspective,” he said. “Because of my time in Thailand, I experienced tremendous personal growth and further built my communication and leadership skills. I think that the Fulbright experience would be an incredible asset to any future path.”

Congratulations to Alex Ash on being named a Fulbright Alumni Ambassador!

For more information about the Carthage Fulbright process, visit the campus Fulbright page and contact Carthage’s Fulbright Program advisor.