History of The Michigan Albert H. Marckwardt Travel Grant
The Michigan Albert H. Marckwardt Travel Grant was established by Michigan TESOL to support Michigan graduate student attendance at the annual TESOL International Convention & English Language Expo. Each year, Michigan TESOL offered the Michigan Albert H. Marckwardt Travel Grant to one graduate student member who applied for but was not awarded a TESOL International Albert H. Marckwardt Travel Grant in the amount of the TESOL conference student pre-registration fee=. In 2024, TESOL International ended the TESOL International Albert H. Marckwardt Travel Grant, which subsequently precipitated the ending of the Michigan Albert H. Marckwardt Travel Grant.
Awardees of the Michigan Albert H. Marckwardt Travel Grant were evaluated according to TESOL International’s Marckwardt Travel Grant criteria, which included scholarship, personal attributes, financial need, and involvement in and commitment to the profession (e.g. presenting and volunteering at MITESOL’s conference; serving on the board, etc.). Additionally, they were currently-enrolled students in a TESOL/Applied Linguistics/SLA (or related) graduate degree program in Michigan, had current membership in both TESOL International and MITESOL, and had a complete (rejected) application for the Albert H. Marckwardt Travel Grant to TESOL International.
Although this award has been sunsetted, MITESOL is proud to honor past awardees.
Michigan Marckwardt Awardees
Deniz Toker - 2019
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Deniz graduated with his M.A. in TESOL from Western Michigan University this April 2019. Prior to that, he earned a B.S. in English Linguistics from Hacettepe University in Turkey and obtained CELTA (Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) three years ago. He taught English as a foreign language at various institutions in Turkey for seven years. In addition to that, he worked as a Cambridge speaking examiner for a year. Thanks to the graduate assistantship granted by Western Michigan University, he has had the chance to teach English as a second language in the United States. He has been working with refugees and immigrants in Kalamazoo for almost two years now. After he presented "Why and How Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT)?" at MITESOL 2018 conference, he gave teaching tips about the same topic at the 2019 International TESOL Convention. His main research interest lies in the significance of culture in teaching and learning, thereby promoting more inclusive classrooms and diverse teaching practices. |
Jennifer Musser - 2018
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Jennifer graduated with her M.A. in TESOL from Eastern Michigan University in April 2018. Before her time at EMU, she earned a B.S. in Journalism from Ohio University and went on to teach EFL in Japan for about seven years. Since beginning EMU TESOL's program, however, she has taken an interest in adult education and refugee concerns. Jennifer now works at the nonprofit Washtenaw Literacy and is an active volunteer with the Syrian American Rescue Network. Her teaching and research interests include strategies for community engagement and the cultivation of learners' multiple identities. With this being her second opportunity to present at TESOL International, Jennifer was honored to have been selected as a Michigan Marckwardt Award recipient. MITESOL's support enabled her to attend the 2018 Master’s Student Forum at TESOL International in Chicago, IL, where she presented "Fostering Adult English Learners’ Engagement with their Community," an in-depth look into her course curriculum and learner outcomes from her TESOL practicum. |
Tiffany Johnson - 2017
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Tiffany graduated with an M.A. in TESOL from Eastern Michigan University, where she worked as a graduate assistant in the Holman Success Center, assisting freshman transitioning to university. She earned her B.A. in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, IL. She is interested in learner autonomy and cultural reading practices. Tiffany is thankful for MITESOL’s support of graduate students through the Michigan Marckwardt Award. It allowed her to attend the 2017 Master’s Student Forum at TESOL International in Seattle, WA. She presented her M.A. Thesis Research, "Fostering Learner Autonomy in Community-Based ESL programs. |
Laura Eickhoff - 2016
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Laura Eickhoff is a graduate from the MA TESOL program at Michigan State University. She attended Central Michigan University where she got a BS in History and English Language and Literature,and has recently completed a Delta Diploma through Cambridge English and her current employer. She is interested in research relating to descriptive grammar instruction, collaborative teaching, and critical thinking in academic writing ,and has been a contributing author to textbook projects and an online grammar newsletter. She has taught English as a second language at MSU as well as in Hong Kong and Mainland China. Laura is currently teaching in the Faculty of Academic English at Bilkent University in Ankara, Turkey. Laura is especially thankful for the Marckwardt Travel Grant from MITESOL as it was an opportunity to present her master's thesis research, "ESL and EFL Perceptions of Grammar Instruction." It was also thanks to the TESOL Job Marketplace at the conference that she interviewed for and received her current job. |
Jennifer Brooke - 2015
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Jennifer Brooke received this award as a MATESOL student at Michigan State University, where she served as a teaching assistant in the English Language Center. She earned her B.A. in Linguistics and Music from the University of Iowa. She is interested in second language writing and has also done research in the areas of vocabulary acquisition, interaction in SLA, and speech acts. She is honored to be the recipient of the Michigan Marckwardt Award, which enabled her to attend and present at the 2015 Master’s Student Forum at TESOL International in Toronto, Canada. She is looking forward to continuing her program at Michigan State, as well as future opportunities to be involved in MITESOL and TESOL International. |
Trisha Dowling - 2014
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Trisha Dowling received this award as an MATESOL student at Eastern Michigan University, where she worked as a graduate assistant in the International Student Resource Center. She earned her B.A. in Spanish and English from Saginaw Valley State University. She is interested in service learning and sociological issues related to language learning. Trisha is a proud recipient of the Michigan Marckwardt Award. She and her colleagues presented their primary research at TESOL 2014 in Portland, "What’s in a name? Sociolinguistic Implications of ELL Naming Practices." |
Soo Hyon Kim - 2012
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Soo Hyon Kim received this award as a PhD student in Second Language Studies at Michigan State University, where she served as a graduate teaching and research assistant and conducted her dissertation research on second language (L2) writers’ metacognitive knowledge. Her main research interests are issues at the intersection of Second Language Acquisition and L2 writing, English for Academic Purposes, L2 writers in the writing center, and TESOL teacher education. Examples of her work in these areas can be found in TESOL Quarterly, the ELT Journal, Studies in Second Language Acquisition (SSLA), the TESOL SLW and CALL Intersection Newsletter, and NCTE and TESOL Publications. |
Baburhan Uzum - 2011
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Baburhan Uzum received his BA and MA degrees in English Language Teaching from Middle East Technical University in Turkey. He received this award as a doctoral student in Second Language Studies at Michigan State University. Baburhan’s research interests include second language acquisition, language socialization, discourse analysis, sociocultural theories on learning, second language teacher education and interdisciplinary approaches to learning and teaching. He has taught several semesters in the Intensive English Program at MSU's English Language Center, and coauthored many projects on second language acquisition and teacher education. His current research is on foreign language teachers' socialization into the American academic context. Thanks to the Markwardt award provided by MITESOL, Baburhan was able to attend TESOL 2011 in New Orleans to present his paper "Writing Conferencing: Corrective Feedback through Videos." |