Cal Lutheran graduate receives Fulbright

Daniel Chell spent last summer interning in Washington, D.C., for Sen. Tim Johnson of South Dakota. 

(THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – July 2, 2015) A May graduate of California Lutheran University who researched Los Angeles’ Mongolian immigrant community for his senior capstone has received a 2015-2016 U.S. Student Fulbright award to teach English in Mongolia.

Daniel Chell of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, is the fifth Cal Lutheran applicant to receive a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship grant in the last six years. 

Chell’s award will cover travel and room and board for his 10-month stay starting Aug. 1. He will teach at Otgontenger University in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar.

Student Fulbright recipients are chosen for their academic accomplishments and leadership potential. Chell graduated summa cum laude with university honors, earning bachelor’s degrees in global studies and political science and a minor in art. He was a Global Studies Department assistant and member of the Pi Sigma Alpha political science honor society.

Chell channeled his passion for social justice issues such as sustainable development, cultural understanding and human rights into his experience at Cal Lutheran. For his capstone project, he studied the impact of social capital on cultural retention and self-identity in Los Angeles’ Mongolian community. During a travel seminar to Thailand, he visited several local and international organizations focused on preventing human trafficking and rehabilitating victims and worked with other students to evaluate their effectiveness. He wrote a policy paper calling for the United States to facilitate reconciliation programs between Armenia and Turkey in light of the Armenian genocide and researched the treatment of the Shia minority in Saudi Arabia. Chell also studied abroad in Uganda.

Chell spent last summer interning in Washington, D.C., for Sen. Tim Johnson of South Dakota. He took notes at briefings and hearings, gave tours in English and German, and compiled a daily digest of news stories for staff.

The Brookings High School graduate has participated in service activities since he was a young child. At Cal Lutheran, he was a student ambassador, student senator and a member of the Knights Rugby Football Club. Through Campus Ministry, he also helped raise awareness and money to combat malaria. He is currently spending his third summer working as a counselor at Sky Ranch Lutheran Camp in Colorado.

Fulbright recipients live and work with people of the host countries, serving as cultural ambassadors for the United States. The program is designed to facilitate cultural exchange, allowing grantees to gain an appreciation of others’ viewpoints, beliefs and actions.