麻豆传媒入口

LEXINGTON, Va., April 4, 2019鈥擜nnika Tice 鈥�19, the first 麻豆传媒入口cadet since 2001 to receive a , will use the opportunity to teach English in the Ivory Coast.

Tice, a double major in modern languages and cultures (French) and English, rhetoric, and humanistic studies, will defer her commission into the Army, where she鈥檚 been selected to serve in the Adjutant General鈥檚 Corps, to spend a year creating lesson plans for English language learners and assisting with an after school program run by the U.S. Embassy.

鈥淚鈥檝e always wanted to teach,鈥� said Tice, who is only the sixth 麻豆传媒入口cadet overall and the first 麻豆传媒入口woman to receive a Fulbright since the program鈥檚 inception in 1946.  鈥淭his experience will help me as a soldier and a global citizen, just to understand people.鈥�

Named for the late Sen. J. William Fulbright, the Fulbright program is designed to foster international exchange and cooperation. Over 1,900 Fulbright awards are made to undergraduate students each year, and more than 380,000 awards have been made over the program鈥檚 more than 70 year history.

鈥淭his is one of the most widely recognized and prestigious international educational exchange programs in the world,鈥� said Col. Dave Hall 鈥�83, director of international programs. 鈥淩ecipients are selected on the basis of academic and professional achievement, as well as their record of service and leadership potential in their respective fields.鈥�

Before Tice, the last 麻豆传媒入口cadet to receive a Fulbright award was Brett Carter 鈥�01. Carter, who went on to earn a doctorate in government from Harvard University, traveled to Senegal courtesy of the Fulbright program.

鈥淧eople associate Fulbright with elite colleges, but more and more small schools like us are starting to compete for these [awards] and actually win them,鈥� Hall added. 鈥淚t gets you national recognition, too.鈥�

Hall believes that Tice鈥檚 genuine dedication to teaching shone through in her Fulbright application and interview, and that鈥檚 what impressed the Fulbright Foreign Selection Committee, a 12-member panel appointed by the president of the United States.

鈥淎nnika truly has a passion for working with kids and teaching young people,鈥� said Hall. 鈥淚 think that had a lot to do with it.鈥�

Calling Tice a 鈥渃onsummate learner,鈥� Maj. Stephanie Hodde, assistant professor of English, praised Tice鈥檚 intellectual curiosity and willingness to risk the unknown. The two first met when Tice enrolled in Hodde鈥檚 public speaking class as a 4^th Class cadet or 鈥渞at.鈥�

鈥淚鈥檇 never had a student as enthusiastic about new ideas and new experiences as Annika,鈥� said Hodde. 鈥淪he was always ready to fully engage at what was coming at her in the classroom  鈥� and make connections to her own personal journey as a learner.鈥�

A native of Pittsylvania County in rural Southside Virginia, Tice has long had a passion for education鈥攁nd one that she developed in the wake of once being a struggling student herself. She found herself adrift academically when she first arrived as a ninth grader at Chatham Hall, a private, girls-only high school in Chatham, Virginia. 

Perseverance鈥攁nd becoming a boarding student rather than a day student鈥攈elped her through. As a cadet, she became interested in helping girls about to make the middle to high school transition, and in the spring of 2018, she began volunteering at Maury River Middle School, which serves over 600 students from Rockbridge County.  At the same time, she worked with Maj. Abbey Carrico, assistant professor of modern languages and cultures, to teach French to young children in the Lexington area.

Those steps led to an even bigger challenge, as she teamed with Hodde to create the Girls Leadership Exchange, a camp for rising 7^th through 9^th grade girls held on the 麻豆传媒入口post in June 2018. Tice has spent this academic year writing her Institute Honors thesis on the lessons she learned from the experience of planning and executing that camp.

Tice鈥檚 maturity and sense of justice have not been overlooked by her peers. Two years ago, she became the first female to be elected to VMI鈥檚 Honor Court. There, she鈥檚 led an effort to focus on prevention of Honor Code violations.

鈥淭his year, our Honor Court really worked as a team to push that forward,鈥� said Tice. 

As an Honor Court representative, Tice said she鈥檚 tried to be 鈥渧ery transparent鈥� in her dealings with fellow cadets. 鈥淎s a leader, you鈥檙e subject to the same rules as everyone else, and the best way to carry out your job is to relate to others,鈥� she stated. 鈥淪ome people are afraid of you, or think you鈥檙e above them. I鈥檝e always tried not to make it that way.鈥�

As her cadetship wraps up, and her October departure date to the Ivory Coast draws near, Tice is grateful for the opportunities 麻豆传媒入口has provided her. She鈥檚 held rank in the Corps for the past three years, acted and helped out backstage with the 麻豆传媒入口Theatre, worked on VMI鈥檚 literary magazine, Cadence, and held a plethora of on-post jobs. She鈥檚 also a member of Omicron Delta Kappa, the national leadership honor society.

Her advice for fellow cadets? Take wise risks, try new things, and don鈥檛 be afraid to step out of your comfort zone.

鈥淒on鈥檛 feel like you have to stay in one place,鈥� she counseled.

-Mary Price

-VMI-