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WestConn Graduate Awarded Fulbright Scholarship To Study In Estonia

DANBURY, Conn. – A music student from Western Connecticut State University in Danbury has been awarded a Fulbright scholarship.

Only days before Katie Marsan graduated Western Connecticut State University, did she learn she had become Western's fourth Scholar in five years.

Only days before Katie Marsan graduated Western Connecticut State University, did she learn she had become Western's fourth Scholar in five years.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Western Connecticut State University

After four years at Western Connecticut, Katie Marsan graduated from the honors program with a near perfect GPA. She’ll use the Fulbright scholarship to travel to the University of Tartu in Estonia. She plans to learn to play the fiddle while studying education and the folk music of the country for nine months starting this fall.

“I’ve been hearing about the Fulbright program since I was a freshman — and I thought it was kind of a reach,” Marsan said in a statement.

She is the fourth Fulbright Scholar from Western Connecticut in the last five years. She learned she had been chosen several days before her graduation in May and shortly after her father died of a longtime illness

While at Western Connecticut, Marsan served as president and vice president of the Newman Club and treasurer, vice president and co-creator of the Chamber Music Club; and volunteered at the Salvation Army in Danbury. She was also a member of the Newman Club Music Ministry, Honors Student Organization and WCSU Opera Ensemble, to name a few. In addition to being awarded a Merit Scholarship, she was nominated for the National Society of Collegiate Scholars.

Marsan credited the individual attention, small classes and the honors program with helping her to make the most of her four years at WestConn, a journey that culminated with a degree in music education with honors.

“This experience will enable me to expose my future students to another culture and form of music,” said Marsan, who plans to pursue a graduate degree in music to become a teacher. “The folk music of Estonia is known for its choral music. They have lots of festivals. Music is a good way for people to connect. We have different lifestyles, but we’re not all that different."

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