Grady Kepler
Grady Kepler earned his MA in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) from IUPUI in August 2019. Grady’s graduate studies included a teaching practicum in the English for Academic Purposes program, during which he was awarded the Loretta Lunsford Scholarship to investigate and design instructional modules for international and domestic English language learners. Using insight from the classroom, Grady’s MA Thesis traced the developmental pathway of second language writing among Arabic-speaking students. While at IUPUI, Grady volunteered as an English language tutor to adult refugees and immigrants at local non-profits and churches, and worked as a graduate assistant at the International Center for International Communication at IUPUI.
Much of Grady’s work at IUPUI culminated in presenting original papers related to second language writing and development at regional and international symposia. He was also the recipient of several awards, including the Dr. Charles R. Bantz Award for Excellence, First Place in the Three Minute Pitch (3MP) Competition, the Joan and Larry Cimino Award, and the Albert H. Marckwardt Travel Grant from the TESOL International Association.
Most recently, Grady was awarded a U.S. Student Fulbright Award to teach English in Amman, Jordan for the 2019-2020 academic year. As a Fulbright student scholar, Grady taught in the Department of English Language and Literature at the University of Jordan, teaching composition and public speaking courses to undergraduate students. Through the Fulbright program, he was able to build relationships with students and colleagues, gaining insight into the educational background of Jordanian students, as well as the language learning goals, needs, and expectations among Jordanian students and teachers. While in Jordan, Grady received the Critical Language Enhancement Award for in-country language training for Colloquial Jordanian Arabic.
Grady plans to pursue further study and research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he has been admitted into the PhD program for English Language and Linguistics.