Fulbright grant helps UC grad give back

But even as a child, Ainsworth knew that the world was bigger than his small hometown in Independence, Kentucky. His desire to live in a larger, multiethnic community eventually led him to the University of Cincinnati where he says his mind was opened, and he enjoyed its diverse international student population.

“My mother passed away when I was three years old, so for most of my life I grew up in a single-parent home,” says Ainsworth. “In order to help, I took on extra work and learned to be adaptable and self-motivated. But most of all, we thrived because people in my community helped my family and taught me the true value of community and acceptance.”

Now, a recent graduate of UC’s Carl H. Lindner College of Business with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, Ainsworth will begin what he calls a gesture of "giving back" by teaching English and working as an intercultural mentor to young people. Through a 2019 Fulbright U.S. Student Program scholarship awarded by the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, Ainsworth will spend a year, beginning this August, working with children in Taitung, one of Taiwan’s most rural communities. 

But it wasn’t until the summer of his junior year on his trip to China that Ainsworth began to appreciate the advantages of living and working in a variety of cultures, all of which he says helped bolster his plans for a global career.

“While I backpacked around China with another American friend from iCats, we met up with some of our Chinese UC International students,” says Ainsworth. “They were gracious enough to introduce us to their families, host us, squire us around the cities and act as our translators and tour guides.

“We had a lot more fun because of their help. I wouldn’t have had that kind of unique experience without being part of UC’s rich, diverse environment."

During his Fulbright fellowship, Ainsworth will spend the next year in the small Taiwanese city of Taitung, a rural and mountainous community along the southeastern shore. 

“I know I’ll have a greater opportunity to immerse myself into a small-town society where their culture is still traditionally rooted and [with] minimal outside influence,” he says. “While I’ll be teaching English to children who have had little exposure to cultures outside their own, I am sure I’ll learn as much or more about their way of life and look forward to discovering our common interests.”

Tutoring English is only part of Ainsworth’s ambitious Fulbright plans. Since culture and language are naturally developed through social interaction, he also plans to teach the children about American board games, sports and host traditional U.S. holiday celebrations, he says.

“I learned that no culture is a monolith, and it is often difficult but necessary to separate a person’s personality from their culture. So while teaching Tiawanese children about American culture, I hope to show students how diverse we are while emphasizing that I still cannot speak for everyone,” he adds.