OU graduate awarded prestigious Fulbright Award to the US

An OU graduate has received a Postgraduate Scholars Fulbright Award to enable her to study for a PhD at the University of Missouri on one of the most prestigious and selective scholarship programmes operating world-wide. And she says her OU studies helped her success.

Laura McInerney studied PPE for her undergraduate degree at Oxford University. After working for two years at KPMG, she joined TeachFirst and has taught in challenging East London schools for the past six years.

While working she studied for an Open University MA in Social Science, a Postgraduate Diploma in Social Research Methods and an Undergraduate Certificate in Health & Social Care.

She received the 2008 TeachFirst Excellence Award for inspiring students to reach for outstanding achievements and has since worked part-time for LKMCo and served on advisory boards to the Department of Education and the Labour Party. She is also the author of “The Six Predictable Failures of Free Schools and How To Avoid Them”, a critically acclaimed book examining the coalition’s policy for funding new schools.

As a Fulbright scholar, Laura will study for a PhD in Education Leadership & Policy Analysis at the University of Missouri.

Commenting on receiving the award, Laura said: “It has been a lifelong dream to study for a PhD. The Open University was invaluable in making Masters level study available to me and now being able to study on a Fulbright scholarship associated with so many Nobel prize winners and Heads of State is simply incredible.

“There is no way I would have had the confidence to study abroad without the support of Fulbright. Just like OU it is a life-changing opportunity.”

Created by treaty in 1948, the US-UK Fulbright Commission is the only bi-lateral, transatlantic scholarship programme, offering awards for study or research in any field, at any accredited US or UK university.

The Commission is part of the Fulbright programme conceived by Senator J. William Fulbright in the aftermath of World War II to promote leadership, learning and empathy between nations through educational exchange. Award recipients will be the future leaders for tomorrow and support the “special relationship” between the US and UK.

The Fulbright Commission selects scholars through a rigorous application and interview process. In making these awards the Commission looks not only for academic excellence but a focused application, a range of extracurricular and community activities, demonstrated ambassadorial skills, a desire to further the Fulbright Programme and a plan to give back to the recipient’s home country upon returning.