Fulbright-mtvU Fellows

Meet the Fulbright-mtvU Fellows

The 2011-2012 Fulbright-mtvU Fellows are Kyle Inman of De Pauw University, Lauren Knapp of Grinnell College, Jennifer Saura of Harvard University and Meja Shoba of the University of California, Los Angeles. mtvU and musical artists James Murphy from LCD Soundsystem, Jared Leto from 30 Seconds to Mars and Matt & Kim helped to identify this year's winners, nominating the finalists from a pool of top qualified candidates that had been chosen in a merit-based process by U.S. and foreign academic leaders and area experts. The final selection was made by the Presidentially-appointed J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.

Previous Fulbright-mtvU Fellows

Kyle Inman, 2011-12 Fulbright-mtvU Fellow

2011-12 Fulbright-mtvU Fellow Kyle Inman

Kyle Inman, who obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Music and English Literature from DePauw University in Indiana, will work with Queen’s University of Belfast and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland to highlight the powerful artistic steps Northern Ireland is taking to move past its troubled history and towards a more harmonious future. During her academic career at DePauw, she spread increased awareness of Northern Ireland’s culture and history through a Northern Ireland Awareness Week and the presentation of her thesis, “Portals of Truth: Musical and Literary Responses to the ‘Troubles’ of Northern Ireland.”

Lauren Knapp, 2011-12 Fulbright-mtvU Fellow

2011-12 Fulbright-mtvU Fellow Lauren Knapp

Lauren Knapp, who graduated from Grinnell College in 2006 with a Bachelor’s degree in anthropology and global development studies, will document how popular Mongolian female musicians in Ulaanbaatar are using hip-hop to address the issues of a rapidly urbanizing society in the young democracy. She will also work with the Mongolian Arts Council to establish a series of music camps for young women and girls. Since graduation, Lauren has taught in Nanjing, China, and worked for “PBS NewsHour,” where she contributed to the arts and music coverage.

Jennifer Saura, 2011-12 Fulbright-mtvU Fellow

2011-12 Fulbright-mtvU Fellow Jennifer Saura

Jennifer Saura, who graduated from Harvard University in 2007 with a degree in Social Studies and filmmaking, will travel to Argentina to document music culture in and around Buenos Aires. With the support of the University of Buenos Aires, and in collaboration with several Argentine bands, she will explore the influence of contemporary music on Argentine individual and collective identity. Since graduating, Saura has worked in the movie industry and publishing, and spent the last two years at The New Yorker.

Meja Shoba, 2011-12 Fulbright-mtvU Fellow

2011-2012 Fulbright-mtvU Fellow Meja Shoba

Meja Shoba, a film production graduate student at the University of California, Los Angeles with a Bachelor’s degree in English Creative Writing from Colgate University, will travel to South Africa to film a documentary exploring the ways in which South African youth use local kwaito music as a vehicle to renegotiate cultural and social identity in post-Apartheid "New South Africa." She will collaborate with a local filmmaker, DJs, kwaito artists and elder musicians to illustrate how music reflects and articulates South Africa's political transition and social climate.

Previous Fulbright-mtvU Fellows

2010-2011 Fulbright-mtvU Fellows

Karima Daoudi, who graduated from Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois with a B.A. in Anthropology and Sociology in June 2009, will conduct her Fulbright-mtvU project in Dakar, Senegal, exploring the relationship between the thriving Dakar hip-hop scene and traditional Senegalese griot (musical storyteller) culture. She will work with hip-hop artists and griots, and will collaborate with Africulturban, a hip-hop based youth community center, to research how people use music to navigate tradition, modernity, and globalization to craft a contemporary, urban, African identity.

Yesica Hernandez, who graduated from Stanford University with a B.A. in Sociology and Film and Media Studies, will use her Fulbright-mtvU Fellowship to film a documentary on Afro-Peruvian music in Peru. With the help of Universidad Catolica, Yesica will document the role Afro-Peruvian music has had in ameliorating race relations and explore ways to introduce this musical genre to young people.

Akesha Horton, a doctoral student in Curriculum, Teaching, and Educational Policy at Michigan State University, will conduct research in hip-hop and new media in Australia. She will explore how hip-hop is used to help Australian youth become socially conscious, global and digital citizens at the University of Technology, Sydney, and community outreach centers in Western Sydney.

Lynne Stillings, who graduated from Connecticut College with a B.A. in Music and French in May 2009, will spend her Fulbright-mtvU year in Indonesia, examining the relationship between children's music and cultural identity. Working with the Indonesian Institute of the Arts in Yogyakarta, Lynne will create an after-school music program to encourage students to express their ideals, values, and social positions through music.

Previous Years' Fulbright-mtvU Fellows

2009-2010 Fellows: