CONWAY, Ark. (July 22, 2021) – Hendrix
College alumna and Director of Career Services Leigh Lassiter-Counts ’01, a
past recipient of a Fulbright International Education Administration Award to Germany,
has been selected as one of 14 U.S. Fulbright Alumni Ambassadors who will spend two years serving as
official representatives of the Fulbright Scholar Program.
“We are thrilled for Leigh to share
the power a Fulbright award can have on a campus and community as an Ambassador,”
said Dr. Peter Gess, associate provost for engaged learning at Hendrix. “Her
work will open doors for many more prospective Fulbright Scholars to imagine
the possibilities of what a Fulbright Award can do in their lives and careers. And
as Leigh benefits from continued involvement with the Fulbright Program,
Hendrix students will benefit, too.”
In 2016,
Lassiter-Counts participated in a two-week International Education Administrator seminar conducted by the Fulbright
Commission in Germany. Through visits to numerous institutions, meetings with
colleagues doing similar work, and connecting with professionals in German
Higher Education, she gained a better understanding of the international world
of work, and how to encourage Hendrix students to pursue a more global view of
their lives after Hendrix. As a result, other Hendrix faculty and staff have
applied for Fulbright awards, and students have been accepted to German summer
study abroad and graduate school programs and earned prestigious post-graduate fellowships,
such as the 2017 award to Elana Harrison ’13.
“My Fulbright experience in Germany
was life-changing for me and helped me become more knowledgeable and
resourceful in helping Hendrix students to pursue international study,
internship, graduate school, and work opportunities,” Lassiter-Counts said. “It
only seemed natural to want to give back to the program that gave so much to me.
Having the chance to inspire scholars and administrators around the U.S. to
participate in Fulbright opportunities is a great honor.”
The new cohort of Fulbright Scholar
Alumni Ambassadors recently participated in a series of interactive online sessions geared toward those who hope to
apply to become Fulbright Scholars in the coming years. It is the Fulbright
program’s hope that in 2022, Alumni Ambassadors can continue their work
in-person by visiting campuses and academic conferences across the United
States.
“The Fulbright program is celebrating
75 years of
fostering mutual understanding between the United States and partner nations,
advancing knowledge across communities, and improving lives around the globe,”
Lassiter-Counts said. “As Ambassadors, our goal is to help the program truly
represent America by encouraging applications from all geographic areas and
institution types. Fulbright awards are competitive and prestigious, but not
unattainable or elitist. I think the most common thing I say as an Alumni
Ambassador that really resonates with folks is that ‘Fulbright is for you.’”
Lassiter-Counts graduated from
Hendrix cum laude in 2001 and received the President’s Medal, presented
each year to the Hendrix student who best exemplifies the highest ideals of the
College. She earned a master’s degree in higher education administration in
2003 from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. Her work at Hendrix spans
16 years, of which the last decade has been spent growing the impact of Career
Services for the Hendrix community. Most notably, Lassiter-Counts and the
Career Services team have created the Career Term professional skill-building program
for all Hendrix sophomores, grown the internship program by almost 100% since
2010, and engaged faculty and staff in promoting the career competencies
students gain through the robust liberal arts education
provided at Hendrix.
About Hendrix College
A private liberal arts college in Conway, Arkansas, Hendrix College
consistently earns recognition as one of the country’s leading liberal arts
institutions, and is featured in Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools
That Will Change the Way You Think About Colleges. Its academic quality and
rigor, innovation, and value have established Hendrix as a fixture in numerous
college guides, lists, and rankings. Founded in 1876, Hendrix has been
affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884. To learn more, visit www.hendrix.edu.