Cleveland Native, JaNae Bates, Receives a Prestigious Fulbright Award to the UK

CLEVELAND, Aug. 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Cleveland native, JaNaé Bates, has received an International Scholar Fulbright Award to enable her to study at the University of Aberdeen on one of the most prestigious and selective scholarship programmes operating world-wide.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130805/NY58683 )

Created by treaty in 1948, the US-UK Fulbright Commission is the only bi-lateral, transatlantic scholarship programme, offering awards for study or research in any field, at any accredited US or UK university. The Commission is part of the Fulbright programme conceived by Senator J. William Fulbright in the aftermath of World War II to promote leadership, learning and empathy between nations through educational exchange. Award recipients will be the future leaders for tomorrow and support the "special relationship" between the US and UK.

Bates graduated summa cum laude from Wilberforce University in Ohio as valedictorian of the 2008 class, receiving her BA in Mass Media Communications. During her collegiate matriculation she was a member of seven student organizations and an executive board member of four. Professionally, she was a staff writer and reporter with the Call and Post Newspapers in Cleveland, Ohio and has been with PR Newswire for five years where she is a senior editor for the global newswire service. Bates has been a member of Imani Church for over 20 years where she received the call to teach the gospel through the adult Bible study program, Imani Bible Institute. Bates plans to use her Fulbright year transitioning into fulltime ministry while exploring and researching cultural differences in spirituality as she pursues her Masters of Theology in Ministry and Mission at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland.

Commenting on receiving the Award, Bates said, "Receiving this award is a true blessing. When I was first notified, I screamed like a mad woman and probably alerted every neighbor in my building, but I couldn't stop saying, 'Thank You, Jesus!' Since graduation from Wilberforce, I knew that I desired to study abroad and began the process to make that happen. After this five-year journey, God saw fit to give me the best and make me a Fulbright Scholar. Now it's time to take my communication skills and fuse them with my faith as I embark on this new journey in a new discipline. I truly hope the work and study I do while abroad not only enrich my life, but give me the tools to enrich others."

The Fulbright Commission selects scholars through a rigorous application and interview process. In making these awards the Commission looks not only for academic excellence but a focused application, a range of extracurricular and community activities, demonstrated ambassadorial skills, a desire to further the Fulbright Programme and a plan to give back to the recipient's home country upon returning.

Nearly 300,000 extraordinary women and men from all over the world have had their lives changed as participants in the Fulbright Programme. Of these alumni, approximately 15,000 UK nationals have studied in the US and 12,000 US nationals in the UK on Fulbright educational exchange programmes. 

Notable alumni of the US-UK Commission include: Malcolm Bradbury, novelist; Liam Byrne, politician; Milton Friedman, economist and Nobel Prize Winner 1976; Charles Kennedy, politician; John Lithgow, actor; Tarik O'Regan, composer; Sylvia Plath, poet; Lord William Wallace, politician; Ian Rankin, novelist; Sir Christopher Rose QC, judge; Baroness (Shirley) Williams, politician; Vanessa Heaney, journalist BBC World Service; and Toby Young, journalist and playwright.

The Commission is funded partially by the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills in the UK and the US Department of State, with additional support coming from a variety of individual and institutional partners including many leading UK universities and an annual contribution from the Scottish Government.

For More Information: www.fulbright.org.uk

SOURCE US-UK Fulbright Commission; JaNae Bates