DILS provides students the opportunity to study languages not currently offered through the traditional curriculum. DILS students are paired with a language partner to gain new linguistic skills and broaden their knowledge about other cultures; 34 languages have been studied since the program’s inception in the spring of 2009.
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Dr. Maria Kosinski, director of the DILS program, recognized Hornbeck’s passion for the Turkish community and cultural exchange. Having collaborated with her before during the annual DILS Multicultural Night, held in the student center in February, Dr. Kosinski encouraged Hornbeck to pursue the scholarship in Turkey.
“Kathryn is a hardworking, enormously committed student who is deeply dedicated to promoting the international collaborative experience in education as well as in the workforce,” said Dr. Kosinski. “She is an excellent student of Turkish and will no doubt be an equally excellent teacher of English in Turkey.”
Hornbeck’s love for Turkey came from a study abroad program she participated in at Koç University (pronounced koh-ch) in the spring of 2015. For eight months, Hornbeck resided near Istanbul functioning as a student and camp counselor during the summer.
“That experience was a huge reason why I applied to the Fulbright,” said Hornbeck. “The idea of being a cultural ambassador in the country I love was obviously very appealing!”
Following her study abroad experience in Turkey, Hornbeck applied to the DILS program where she has been learning Turkish since fall 2015.
“DILS allowed me to remain connected to Turkey and keep up with my Turkish,” said Hornbeck. “The speaking is the hardest to pick up, and being forced to do it while challenging, is one of the more practical applications of DILS as opposed to a formal setting in class.”
A native of Virginia, Hornbeck is the daughter of Foreign Service parents, both of whom are employees of the U.S. Department of State. She is graduating at the end of May with a major in marketing from the UM School of Business and a minor in political science from the College of Arts and Sciences. Following her teaching assignment in Turkey, Hornbeck plans on pursuing her master’s degree in intelligence and international security at King’s College in London, England.
May 03, 2016
