Alexander Uryga is Indiana’s 2016 James Madison Fellow.
“It is an honor to receive a fellowship that was created for the bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution, and I am proud to represent Indiana during its bicentennial celebration of becoming the nineteenth state.”
According to the press release by the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation of Alexandria, VA, it has announced that it has selected 53 James Madison Fellows for 2016 in its twenty-fifth annual fellowship competition. James Madison Fellowships support the graduate study of American history by aspiring and experienced secondary school teachers of American history, American government, and social studies. Billed as “America’s most prestigious award in constitutional history and government for secondary teachers,” this fellowship will allow Alexander to become a social studies teacher.
“My country needs me to become a social studies teacher now more than ever. According to the 2015 Nation’s Report Card, with 8th grade students, only 23% scored at or above proficient in civics and 18% in U.S. history for 2014. In the same year, Indiana had the worst voter turnout in the nation. Now Indiana is facing a shortage of first-time teachers. Well, I have always wanted to become a teacher, and now thanks to the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation, they have given me the chance to pursue my dream of becoming an incredible teacher of the Constitution, in a day and age that so desperately needs to be educated about the Constitution’s principles and history, as it is essential to supporting American democracy.”
The James Madison Fellowship funds up to $24,000 of each Fellow’s course of study towards a master’s degree, and that program must include a concentration of courses on the history and principles of the United States Constitution, given that the fellowship is named in honor of the fourth president of the United States and acknowledged “Father of the Constitution and Bill of Rights.”
“I feel grateful to have the chance to earn my master’s degree as a James Madison Fellow. I’m thankful for the leaders and teachers that have inspired me to become a teacher in this land of opportunity.”
Alexander Uryga is the first James Madison Fellow from Valparaiso University and the first Junior Fellow (prospective teacher) in seven years from the state of Indiana.