Sociology Professor Sarah Hernandez Awarded Fulbright Fellowship to Mexico

Sarah Hernandez, Associate Professor of Sociology at New College of Florida, was recently awarded a 2008-09 Fulbright Fellowship.

Through the researcher/lecturer grant, Hernandez will teach a course in the areas of work organization, social movements or labor studies at the Universidad de Guadalajara in Mexico.She also will conduct research exploring the changing relationship between Mexican and American labor unions, identifying the factors that facilitate and prevent their collaboration.

Hernandez will receive a stipend to cover cost of living and travel expenses. She will spend nine months in Mexico to complete the Fulbright program and remain there over the summer with her family. Hernandez is the third New College faculty member to receive a Fulbright grant since 2005.

Born in Mexico, Hernandez is eager to return so she can immerse herself in the culture.

“This grant and research leave will give me more than the opportunity to study labor unions and teach in Mexico. At a more personal level, it will give me the opportunity to regain a deeper understanding of what it means to be of Mexico. I will get in touch with the intangible elements, those that are more difficult to grasp unless one ‘becomes native.’ This understanding will re-awaken those elements of myself that have been dormant, and yet are key in my professional work,” said Hernandez.

The Fulbright Program is sponsored by the United States Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The traditional Fulbright Scholar Program sends 800 U.S. faculty and professionals abroad each year. Grantees lecture and conduct research in a wide variety of academic and professional fields.

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