Linfield College senior Ariana Lipkind of Missoula, Mont., has been awarded a Fulbright grant to teach and study in Austria.
In addition to teaching English at a trade school in Vienna, Lipkind will conduct research on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth. She will focus her research on the progression of the LGBT movement in Austria and the different resources available for LGBT youth in and out of schools. She will conduct her research at multiple LGBT organizations in Austria, including the Homosexual Initiative and Rosa Lila Villa.
According to Lipkind, lack of institutional and parental support can lead to a number of tragedies with LGBT youth.
“They are four times more likely to commit suicide than their heterosexual peers,” said Lipkind. “That is why it is so important that this issue is actively researched and talked about in order to find a way to progress the movement and support LGBT youth.”
As a German studies major, Lipkind has visited Austria and Europe before. She studied abroad in Germany her junior year of high school and in fall 2012 as a part of the Linfield study abroad program.
“I never knew how LGBT movements were progressing in other countries until I went abroad, and I found people from other countries didn’t know about the U.S. movement either,” said Lipkind. “Conducting research in Austria is my opportunity to learn and teach about this topic that I am now so passionate about.”
At Linfield, Lipkind is co-president of FUSION, a resident advisor, Sigma Kappa Phi community service coordinator and student assistant for Multicultural Programs. As co-president of FUSION, she’s helped organize lectures and events at Linfield in hopes of raising awareness about the issues the LGBT community faces.
“My research in Austria will allow me to make a much larger impact on the LGBT community,” said Lipkind.
Lipkind first became interested in the Fulbright Program after taking multiple courses in the Modern Languages Department, many of which have teaching assistants who are Fulbright scholars from other countries.
The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government. The program promotes mutual understanding between the people of the United States and other countries. Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields. The program operates in more than 155 countries worldwide. Linfield was named a top producer of Fulbright awards for bachelor’s institutions in 2006 and 2010.
Lipkind is the daughter of Erin Lipkind and Dustin Hoon of Missoula, Mont. She hopes her time as a teacher and researcher will help her decide which of the two career paths she is more interested in pursuing.
