Austin College Students Receive Fulbright Awards

s t u d e n tachieversMany recent college graduates are facing the task of their first job search in the midstof high national unemployment and a bleak world economic outlook. NathanWithers ’09 — who finished coursework for his degree with majors in politicalscience and media and society in January — has discovered the advantages ofgetting an undergraduate education that provides more than just fodder for animpressive résumé (though he has one of those, too).Nathan cites programs such as the Posey Leadership Institute and Model United Nations forproviding numerous and memorable educational experiences, from attending speeches byleadership experts Michael Maccoby and Howard Prince to serving as the head delegate forAustin College at the 2008 National Model United Nations Conference in Xi’an, China.“I learned more in China about how the international community works than I ever learnedin a classroom,” he said. “I will never forget the informal interactions I had with students inChina. I felt a sense of global self that is difficult to describe.”Nathan took advantage of Austin College JanTerms, gaining international exposure in a 2008course on Afro-Latino culture and traveling to Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina. In 2006, he spenthis spring break with a contingent of Austin College student volunteers working withPresbyterian Disaster Relief in post-Katrina New Orleans.While Model U.N. may have given Nathan a taste ofinternational politics, he branched out on his own to experienceU.S. and Texas politics. He spent his 2007–2008 Christmasbreak in Iowa, volunteering for the Ron Paul presidentialcampaign, and he was a delegate to the Texas RepublicanConvention in Houston, Texas, in June 2008.Nathan, formerly president and vice president of the AustinCollege Pre-Law Society, sees law school as a possible futureendeavor, but for now, has beaten the odds and found work inthese trying economic times. Since November, he has workedas a contractor for the Economic Development Department atthe Texoma Council of Governments in Sherman.“Through the wealth of programs that I was able to becomeintimately involved with at Austin College, I gained aconfidence and readiness for the professional world,” Nathansaid. “Through the global emphasis in various programs, I alsofeel significantly connected as a global citizen and have agreater understanding of the world beyond our borders.”PHOTO BY VICKIE S. KIRBYNathan WithersMore than aRésumé BuilderJune 2009 Austin College Magazine 11