A graduating senior at Knox College has been awarded a prestigious Fulbright fellowship for international study. The award to Kathryn Frank, a history and Spanish major, will support her work next year in Argentina. Frank will teach English, volunteer at a community service project and conduct oral history research.

Knox has been cited as one of the top schools in the nation for Fulbright awards. In the past ten years, more than two dozen Knox students, faculty and alumni have received Fulbright awards for international study and research. In 2012, four Knox students received Fulbright fellowships. The Fulbright program is the leading international educational exchange sponsored by the U.S. government. Fellowship recipients are chosen for both academic merit and leadership potential.

Frank said she specifically applied for a Fulbright fellowship that would allow her to return to Argentina, where she studied in 2010 with the Knox College Program in Buenos Aires. 

"Living and studying in Argentina was an experience that changed my life. I was there on the day (October 27, 2010) that President Nestor Kirchner died, and I witnessed how people overcame their political differences, and came together and grew as one nation," Frank says. The Buenos Aires Program "allowed me to flourish intellectually, emotionally, personally."

Frank also credited her faculty advisor, assistant professor of history Emre Sencer, with helping her develop as a historian. "He motivated me to look at history from every angle. I learned the importance of getting to know a culture and a nation, to fully grasp the effects of the past."

Sencer praised Frank as "one of the most knowledgeable, well-read, and talented students that I have encountered at Knox. It has been a pleasure to read her essays and work with her on an independent study project."

After completing the Fulbright fellowship in 2013, Frank says, "I plan to pursue graduate studies in Spanish or history, with a goal of becoming a professor."

A graduate of Warren Township High School in Gurnee, Illinois, Frank has worked for Knox's Center for Teaching and Learning as a Spanish language peer tutor. She also volunteered for the Literacy Coalition for two years, tutoring English to non-native speakers from the Galesburg area.