DATE: May 21, 2009

CONTACT: Roy Jones, 864-656-7915
royj@clemson.edu

WRITER: Hannah Sykes, 864-656-2061
hsykes@clemson.edu

Clemson graduate receives Fulbright grant to teach in Indonesia

CLEMSON — Clemson University graduate and Orangeburg resident AbdurRabb Watkins has been selected for a prestigious Fulbright grant to teach in Indonesia.

The Fulbright Program is an international exchange program dedicated to promoting mutual understanding between United States residents and the rest of the world. More than 294,000 people worldwide have participated in the program since its inception in 1946.

Watkins, who graduated May 8 with a degree in elementary education, was a member of the Eugene T. Moore School of Education’s Call Me MISTER program. While in Indonesia, he will work as an English teaching assistant in high schools.

“The bulk of my attention will focus on being an effective teacher, being a good community member, learning the language, being a good ambassador and having cultural exchanges,” Watkins said.

Call Me MISTER is a project that recruits and provides support primarily for male elementary pre-service teachers from diverse backgrounds. Participants in the program receive tuition assistance and loan forgiveness. They also participate in conferences and internships and mentor children in local partner elementary schools. Graduates of the program are expected to teach in a South Carolina public school, ideally in a community similar to the one they grew up in, one year for every year that they received financial aid.

“I’ve learned a great deal about responsibility, consistency, brotherhood, social and economic factors in education, servant leadership and myself. Call Me MISTER has been, without a doubt, the most important factor of my experience at Clemson,” said Watkins.

“We’re just ecstatic that Ab Watkins got the recognition and honor of being selected for the Fulbright Program,” said Roy Jones, director of Call Me MISTER. “This is a testimony to him. He decided to own his education with an open mind and an open heart. He has always operated outside of his comfort zone while maintaining a standard of excellence.”

Watkins was a member of Tiger Brotherhood and Blue Key at Clemson. He received the Jeff Davis Spirit Award from Call Me MISTER, the John Logan Marshall Award for Distinguished Leadership and the Steve Hinson Award for Most Outstanding Brother from Tiger Brotherhood and was recognized by the Division of Student Affairs with the Miranda White Diversity and Collaboration Award.

Watkins will spend 10 months in Indonesia and plans to teach in the Upstate after his return.