Katerina Spasovska, associate professor of communication at Western Carolina University, has been selected as a Fulbright Fellowship recipient for 2024. Spasovska will use the fellowship to travel to Kosovo to teach and research topics of interest.
Spasovska’s fellowship will span from February to July where she will live in the southeastern European country of Kosovo. Originally from Macedonia, Spasovska is excited to be close to her home country where her family still resides.
During her time in Kosovo, she will be continuing to teach communication as part of the faculty of mass communication and journalism at a non-public university in Kosovo. She will be teaching two undergraduate courses and one master’s course.
Spasovska will also be doing research with the journalism program and professional journalists in Kosovo and North Macedonia.
“This is a great opportunity to spend a longer period of time in a country with lots of different experiences,” Spasovska said.
She hopes this opportunity will help further her research as well as provide new and unique ideas to apply to her teaching at WCU.
Though she once lived close to Kosovo, she has never done any research in the state.
“I’ve never done any research in Kosovo,” she said. “Kosovo is a relatively new independent state and after the COVID-19 pandemic, they don’t have any print media, only digital. This will be an interesting way to look at how the media and journalism are changing in that area.”
Spasovska has been a professor at WCU since 2010 and is excited to bring back her research findings to Cullowhee.
“I think this will not only benefit me and my research, but also Western,” Spasovska said. “This is a great program that will give me new perspectives and methods for teaching the material.”
The Fulbright Fellowship program supports accomplished graduating college seniors, graduate students, and young professionals from all backgrounds. Created with the intention to expand perspectives and cross-cultural dialogue through academic and professional advancement, the fellowship expands to more than 140 countries worldwide.
During the grant, people who receive the fellowship will work, live with and learn from the people of the host country and share daily experiences. According to the Fulbright fellowship website, “Through engagement in the community, individuals will interact with their hosts on a one-to-one basis in an atmosphere of openness, academic integrity, and intellectual freedom, thereby promoting mutual understanding.”
