Fulbright scholar wins extension to work with nonprofit in Bulgaria

For 10 months, University of North Georgia (UNG) alumna Faith Brown lived and worked as an English teaching assistant in Bulgaria.

Brown, a December 2016 graduate with a bachelor's degree in communications, accomplished this feat after winning the prestigious national scholarship from the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. The Oakwood native was one of eight UNG students selected as finalists for the 2017-18 academic year and the only winner from the Gainesville Campus.

Now Brown has accomplished another achievement. She won a grant extension from Fulbright.

"I think the extension comes from the fact that I applied to be an assistant director of the Bulgarian English Speech Tournament (BEST)," she said, explaining she was hired after working the program during her time in Bulgaria. "BEST saved me from being alone in a country where I didn't know anybody. It gave me a family."

BEST is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to providing Bulgarian students an inclusive and supportive space to practice critical thinking, public speaking, and creative expression.

"I’m very impressed with all that Faith has accomplished in her single year in Bulgaria," said Anastasia Lin, assistant vice president for research and engagement at UNG.