George Dong, former student at the ELI, has received a Full Research Grant from the Fulbright Program for the 2011-2012 academic year. His research will focus on the access to higher education for the Wa ethnic minority in Lincang (Yunnan Province) in China.

A 2009 U-M graduate with a BA in English and a minor in Asian studies, George was selected to be the student commencement speaker that year (watch a YouTube clip of Dong's address).  The ELI published a Student Profile of Dong at that time.

Since graduating, George has been teaching high school English at Urban Prep Academy in Chicago as a member of the Teach For America corps. In the summer of 2010, he worked as a summer associate for the China Education Initiative (CEI) in Lincang. Prior to beginning his Fulbright assignment, George will participate in the Inter-University Program for Chinese Language Studies at Tsinghua University.