It started with the basketball team’s first international trip to Estonia.
It was a quick 10-day tour of the region once part of the U.S.S.R., but it was an experience that left a long-lasting impression on Eric Jackson who was a sophomore at the time.
Now the 2014 Nebraska Wesleyan University graduate will live and work in another region of the former Soviet Union — the country of Georgia. A Fulbright Scholarship will provide Jackson the opportunity to teach English there and further study the Georgian language.
The Fulbright Scholarship is the flagship international education program sponsored by the United States government. Fifty-two NWU students have won the prestigious honor with 34 of the awards earned in the past decade. Jackson is one of two NWU students to win Fulbright Scholarships this year.
Jackson is no stranger to Georgia. He spent a summer there in 2013 through a Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship. While there he interned at the Institute for Development of Freedom of Information, where he worked on transparency and accountability reform.
“I knew that I always wanted to come back and explore Georgia government,” said Jackson.
After receiving a degree in political science last May, Jackson moved to Estonia where he interned at the E-Governance Academy. He worked with foreign delegations looking to improve their E-Governance capabilities. He also worked with cyber security issues. That internship led to another professional opportunity this spring when Jackson will travel to Hungary for the Central and Eastern E-Gov and E-Dem Days 2015 where he will present an academic article he authored. His presentation on accountability and transparency was inspired by his previous work in Georgia.
He credits many of his international experiences and professional endeavors to the Harry and Reba Huge Foundation, which provides scholarships and exchange opportunities for student leaders.
Following his year in Georgia, Jackson will pursue graduate school and explore careers that combine his interests in post-Soviet affairs.