Sherilyn Harrington ’15 of Portland has received a Fulbright U.S. Student Program award from the U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.  

Harrington, who earned a French degree from Linfield College, will teach English at the Lutsk National Technical University in Lutsk, Ukraine, while serving as a cultural ambassador for the United States during the 2018-19 academic year.

Harrington has worked extensively with Ukrainian refugees since graduating from Linfield. She served as an AmeriCorps member for a year, working with the refugee resettlement agency Lutheran Community Services Northwest, and then became part of the staff as a program coordinator. She also interned at WorldOregon, a nonprofit supporting global issues, and studied Russian at Portland Community College.

Harrington is looking forward to the cultural immersion that the grant offers.

“I’m excited to have the opportunity to work abroad while serving as a representative of the U.S.,” she says. “I’m also looking forward to improving my Russian skills, as well as learning Ukrainian.”

Harrington is one of more than 1,900 U.S. citizens who will conduct research, teach English and provide expertise abroad for the 2018-19 academic year through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. Recipients of Fulbright awards are selected on the basis of academic and professional achievement as well as record of service and leadership potential in their respective fields.

The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to build lasting connections between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.