Randolph resident Candace Taylor awarded Fulbright fellowship

NEW LONDON, CT (05/16/2013)(readMedia)-- Candace Taylor, a senior dance major at Connecticut College, has been selected to receive a U.S. Fulbright Student Program grant to live, conduct research and teach abroad for an academic year.

Taylor, a 2009 graduate of the Dana Hall School and resident of Randolph, Mass., has been awarded a Fulbright Research Award to Nicaragua. She will travel throughout the country collecting and recording personal testimonies from the people there and create a dance piece inspired by them. The work expands on research she did for her senior honors thesis, "Using Dance to Cultivate a Culture of Testimony," under the direction of Connecticut College Dance Professor Rosemarie Roberts. In addition, she will incorporate research she conducted during her junior year study abroad to Nicaragua regarding the presence of modern dance within the country.

"Connecticut College students are educated to be active citizens in today's global society, which makes them excellent candidates for Fulbright fellowships," said Connecticut College President Leo I. Higdon Jr. "Nine of our recent graduates are currently teaching and conducting research all over the world as 2012 Fulbright scholars, and I am very proud of our 2013 winners, including Candace, who will soon join their ranks."

Fulbright fellows receive round-trip transportation to the host country, a living stipend, research allowances and medical insurance. Connecticut College is consistently recognized as a top producer of Fulbright fellows, with 36 winners in seven years.

Taylor, who will graduate from Connecticut College on Sunday, May 19, says she is eager to return to Nicaragua.

"The people of Nicaragua are so warm," said Taylor. "I really fell in love with the country."

Following her Fulbright fellowship, Taylor, who has conducted independent research during all four years of college, said she is interested in dancing professionally and pursuing a master's degree in dance anthropology.

"Many people don't realize how intensely academic dance can be," Taylor said. "I have been so inspired and motivated by the professors in our dance department. I can only hope I might be able to pay it forward and share all I've gained here with others."

About Connecticut College

Connecticut College is a private, highly selective liberal arts college with 1,850 students and more than 40 majors in the arts, sciences, social sciences and humanities, as well as the option for students to self-design majors. The College offers a high level of intellectual challenge, a campus culture that supports students to tailor their educational experience to their own interests and goals, and a four-year career development program that teaches students how to translate a liberal arts degree into a first job or graduate school admission. Connecticut College is situated in the small New England seaport of New London. For more information, visit www.connecticutcollege.edu.