Naveen Jindal School of Management accounting major Timothy Montequin hopes to expand his world view in July as a recipient of a highly competitive Fulbright Summer Institute scholarship in London.
A sophomore, Montequin will join four other U.S. students in a three-week academic and culture immersion program at the University of Westminster in London, one of nine schools in the United Kingdom and U.S. that are part of the Fulbright’s undergraduate summer program. Created in 1948 by the U.S. and the U.K., the Fulbright program fosters leadership, learning and cultural understanding through educational exchanges between both countries.
Jindal School accounting senior lecturer Christina Betanzos called Montequin “a dedicated student with a desire to learn beyond the classroom” and praised his ability to find deeper meaning beyond what is in the textbook.
Outside class, Montequin has taken part in the Jindal School of Management Dean’s Council academic committee, UT Dallas’ John Marshall Pre-Law Society, the student chapter of DECA, and the Synergy Wesley Foundation, a North Texas campus ministry devoted to leadership.
But he said he is most passionate about volunteering with the national organization Reading Partners and helping students learn to read at Dallas’ J.W. Ray Learning Center.
“The main focus is getting kids to reach their reading level by fourth grade,” said Montequin, who grew up in Cedar Hill, Texas. “It’s a race against time, because if they’re not reading well at that point, it really influences the rest of their education.”
Education is a pet topic for Montequin, who said he is considering a career fighting education inequity after he graduates. Whatever field he winds up working in, he hopes his Fulbright scholarship will expand his horizons of how to do it.
“I hope to put myself out of my comfort zone and strengthen the leadership skills I’m developing at JSOM,” he said. “I’m kind of nervous about the program, but mostly I’m excited.”
