Alex Lieberman-Cribbin ’12 has received a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship for Malaysia.
The Classics and Asian Studies major will begin the 10-month assistantship at the end of this year.
“An English Teaching Assistantship provides a wonderful opportunity to increase mutual cultural understanding and communication while empowering students through education,” Lieberman-Cribbin said. “Malaysia, a multiracial and religiously diverse country, has championed ‘education through empowerment’ through their National Education Dialogue.”
Last summer after graduation from Union, Lieberman-Cribbin taught English at a small orphanage in Nepal. He also studied Mandarin Chinese and Asian Studies during a term at Fudan University in Shanghai, China. A native of Sea Cliff, N.Y., he has traveled extensively in Hong Kong, Macau, the Philippines and Italy.
At Union, he was on the Dean’s List and a member of Eta Sigma Phi, the honor society for Greek and Latin. His activities included Phi Delta Theta fraternity, Classics Club, U-Recycle and the track and field team.
After his assistantship, he plans to pursue an advanced degree, possibly a master’s of global health, and to continue to work in Asia.
The Fulbright Program is named for U.S. Senator J. William Fulbright, who introduced a bill to promote international student exchange in education, culture and science. Established in 1946 by President Harry S. Truman, it is the U.S. government’s flagship international education exchange program.
An English Teaching Assistantship (ETA) places a Fulbrighter in a classroom abroad to provide assistance to teachers of English to non-native English-speakers. The assistants help teach English while serving as ambassadors for U.S. culture.