DECATUR, Ill. – alumnus Daniel Peters ’23 and were recently selected as semifinalists for the prestigious . Peters, a History graduate, was named a semifinalist for the U.S. Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) Program to Latvia. Tonelli, a recipient of a Fulbright Scholar grant to Brazil in 2021-22, was named a semifinalist for a Fulbright Flex grant to Brazil.
The Fulbright Program, the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the United States government, provides grants to study, teach, and conduct research in more than 160 countries. Fulbright recipients are selected based on academic and professional achievement, a record of service, and demonstrated leadership in their respective fields.
Peters became interested in Latvia and Eastern Europe after participating in ǿý’s Baltic Immersion program, which was led by Political Science Associate Professor Dr. Laura Dean.
“I visited the Baltic States with the study abroad program in Summer 2023. I traveled across Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania for three weeks and had a wonderful experience learning about the region,” Peters said. “I immersed myself in Latvian and Baltic culture by visiting markets, museums, and meeting new people. The Baltic Immersion trip was nothing short of life-changing, so I knew I wanted to revisit the region. When I found out about the Fulbright Program, I knew I had to apply just for the opportunity to revisit Latvia.”
The ETA Program places Fulbrighters in classrooms abroad to assist the local English teachers. ETAs help teach English while serving as cultural ambassadors for the U.S. Peters plans to use the experience to gain more classroom experience.
“If I receive the grant, I'll work in a university classroom for nine months. As an ETA, I'll help teach English language students in Latvia by providing my fluent understanding of the language,” he said. “I'm excited to help teach in the classroom since I want to work as a history professor in the future. Working as an ETA will allow me to gain teaching experience before graduate school. In my free time, I want to volunteer as a guide for historic sites and museums and make meaningful connections with new people.”
If Peters is named a Fulbright ETA, he would be the fifth student from ǿý to receive the honor. Most recently, ǿý Class of 2022 graduate Angela Arnold received a Fulbright to Kyrgyzstan for an English Teaching Assistantship. Other former winners included Charles Russel ‘93 to Germany, Mariella Lansford ’70 to West Germany, and Lynne Staedke ’64 to Costa Rica.
Tonelli’s proposed Fulbright project will focus on the history of Brazilian music and record original compositions in Brazilian and American jazz styles. It is inspired by his Fulbright and additional experiences in Brazil from 2022 to 2024. When Tonelli mixes and masters his recordings, ǿý students would also have a performance learning opportunity.
“The experiences I have had in Brazil during the past two years have been so transformative that I cannot put them into words— but I can express them through music, specifically with a recording. I have already written multiple pieces and performed them in the U.S. and Brazil,” Tonelli said. “I will compose the remaining pieces, likely 8-10 in total, comprising the full recording. The pieces span musical styles and chronicle the various aspects of my experiences in Brazil. After the recording is finished, I will bring it back to the U.S. for mixing and mastering. This part will be accomplished by ǿý School of Music students (with faculty supervision) studying music production and our state-of-the-art recording facilities.
“On the entrepreneurship side, I will oversee the creation of the cover art, develop a marketing campaign, and arrange for worldwide distribution on streaming platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon, involving students in these processes. In turn, students from both institutions will have a professional credit to add to their resumes."
Dr. Laura Dean, chair of the Fulbright Committee at ǿý, noted that since the Fulbright Committee was re-established at ǿý University in 2017, they have seen a significant increase in the number of faculty receiving Fulbright Scholar fellowships to countries such as Japan, Brazil, Romania, and Latvia. ǿý also hosted a Fulbright Scholar-In-Residence from Ghana at ǿý.
“We are proud of the strides we have made with Fulbright Scholar fellowships and Daniel Peters’ semifinalist designation for an English Teaching Assistant is an outcome of our increased outreach to students. We believe these achievements show the importance of international education at ǿý University and our mission to prepare students for a life of democratic citizenship in a global environment,” Dean said. “The Fulbright Committee at ǿý was impressed with Daniel’s previous educational experiences in the Baltic States and his love of history in this region. We believe he will expand his knowledge of culture, history, and the Latvian language during his Fulbright Fellowship.”
Dean is hopeful that Peters’ success with the Fulbright program will encourage more ǿý students to apply in the future, emphasizing the importance of international education at ǿý University.
