Lindsay Bitner-Mitchell, a first-year student who is majoring in communication, was one of two University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign students to receive places in the Fulbright Commission’s Summer Institutes program — a selective summer scholarship program.
Bitner-Mitchell has been selected by the U.S.-U.K. Fulbright Commission to experience the United Kingdom on a three-week summer film program at Lancaster University in England.
Through a combination of lectures, screenings, and workshops at Lancaster, Bitner-Mitchell will develop an understanding of the formal and technical composition of films as well as the wider conventions of cinemas.
The workshops allow students to work with cameras and digital film equipment, along with dedicated time in postproduction and editing, with each student given the opportunity to write a short script individually before the cohort selects one of the scripts to produce as a group.
The program aligns perfectly with Bitner-Mitchell’s goal of expanding her acumen in the hands-on production of films.
“I am hoping to learn more about the different techniques of filmmaking, since I have never taken a class for it other than watching movies,” said Bitner-Mitchell, a graduate of Plainfield East High School. “I am overall just ready to learn in an entirely new environment in the U.K. I have never been to Europe before, so I am ready to see day-to-day life there.
“I cannot wait to meet the other members of the cohort and make a short film.”
The summer institutes form part of the U.S.-U.K. Fulbright Commission’s work to promote leadership, learning, and empathy between nations through educational exchange.
Fulbright Summer Institutes cover participants’ major costs and provide them with a distinctive support and cultural education program, including comprehensive predeparture guidance, enrichment opportunities in the U.K., and an opportunity to be part of the Fulbright alumni network.
The commission selects participants through a rigorous application and interview process. In making these awards, the commission looks not only for academic excellence but a focused application, a range of extracurricular and community activities, demonstrated ambassadorial skills, and a plan to give back to the recipient’s home country upon returning.
“The U.S.-U.K. Fulbright Commission selected 32 rising scholars from across the entire U. S., with the U. of I. as the only institution with more than one recipient,” said David Schug, director of the National and International Scholarships Program at Illinois. “Another outward sign that our students are fantastic.”
Editor's note: A version of this story was originally published by the Illinois News Bureau.