Glen Ellen Woman Garners Fulbright to Teach in Brazil

A Glen Ellen woman has received a Fulbright grant to teach and conduct research in Brazil during the 2013-2014 school year, the school where she received her master's degree announced Tuesday.

Rhea Phillips was awarded an English teaching assistantship from the Fulbright Fellowship U.S. Student Program to teach in Brazil for 10 months beginning in February 2014, according to officials at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where Phillips received her master's degree in linguistics last May.

Phillips' destination is yet to be determined, but she will be teaching Brazilian university students studying to become English teachers, university officials said.

Prior to receiving her master’s degree, Phillips conducted sociolinguistics research focused on the effect of gender on speech. She plans to pursue a career in language education at the college level.

Phillips earned a bachelor’s degree in Latin American studies, with a focus on Spanish and Portuguese, from University of California, Santa Cruz.

Phillips was among five UIC students and alumni awarded Fulbrights.

The Fulbright Program is built around highly competitive grants for international educational exchanges for students, scholars, teachers, professionals, scientists and artists, founded by United States Senator J. William Fulbright in 1946.