An employee of Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) member school Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) will soon return to France as a Fulbright Scholar. She previously lived and worked in the south of France as an au pair.
Dr. J. Maria Merrills, director of international programs and study abroad at WSSU, was named a Fulbright Scholar in administration. She will travel to Paris and Senegal in the 2025 academic year.
Merrills said in a WSSU news story that the idea of returning to France as a Fulbright during her time scrubbing floors and changing diapers as an au pair. An au pair typically is a young, foreign person who lives with a family and does domestic work in return for room and board.
“It really is surreal. I never would have imagined that I would one day be a Fulbright,” Merrills said.
When it comes to favorite memories from her visit stint in France, Merrills said, in general, living in the place you work is difficult.
“I enjoyed my weekends with other au pairs who were from around the globe,” Merrills said. “We spent time enjoying restaurants and museums in the area and taking train rides to Monte Carlo.”
While in Paris, Merrills said she plans to visit cathedrals, something she’s enjoyed in the past during her travels.
“Though I will not go in Notre Dame, I really like visiting the Sacre Coeur at night,” she said. “It offers a spectacular view of the city and the Eiffel Tower.”
Merrills has a long history at WSSU, working there since 1998. She has been in the role she’s currently in since January 2023.
“While I was a professor, I would take students abroad so that they could see African American influence in unfamiliar spaces,” Merrills said. “When the position became available, I applied.”
She was no stranger to campuses of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) before her tenure at WSSU, either.
Merrills earned a master’s degree in English and Afro-American literature in 1994 from TMCF member school North Carolina A&T State University.
“I wanted to work at an HBCU because I wanted to give back to my community,” she said.
Visit the WSSU website to read more about Merrill’s upcoming journey.
