Fulbright Graduate Student Rigg Receives 2026 J. Hillman Yowell Award for Excellence in Teaching

DeShea Rigg, a graduate student and teaching assistant of Japanese in the Department of World Languages, Literatures and Cultures, has been awarded the J. Hillman Yowell Award for Excellence in Teaching for 2026. This award is given to a Fulbright graduate student who exemplifies outstanding contributions to the university and college's teaching mission.  

Rigg, who graduated with her Master of Education in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), has returned this fall to pursue a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction and continue her teaching assistantship in Japanese. Rigg teaches both levels of Elementary Japanese and has taught both levels of Intensive Intermediate Japanese during a summer study abroad in Tokyo in the summer of 2025. She now has 11 combined years of teaching experience. 

However, Rigg's journey as an educator began while working as an intern in the Spring International Language Center (SILC) at the U of A, where she taught English to Japanese college students visiting the U.S. for the SILC summer program. Inspired by this experience, Rigg then joined the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program. This led her to Tokyo, where she would teach English at a public high school for the next eight years while continuing to live in Japan. 

Rigg's interest in the Japanese language began during her undergraduate studies, when she took a linguistics course with Dr. Tatsuya Fukushima, although she did not begin learning the language until the age of 25 while preparing for the JET Program. 

While in Japan, Rigg said learning the language strengthened her relationships with her Japanese students. "Students could see that I was trying to learn their language while they were learning English," Rigg said. "That created a sense of mutual respect, which is a major part of Japanese culture." 

After returning to the United States to pursue graduate studies, Rigg remained connected with the U of A Japanese program and Japanese professor Dr. Fukushima, who nominated her for the J. Hillman Yowell Award. To qualify for a teaching assistantship, she earned the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) N2 certification in 2023. She is now in her third year as a teaching assistant of Japanese.  

The U of A is a host institution of the JLPT as named by the Consulate-General of Japan in 2008. The university is anticipating a sixth straight all-time high registration of JLPT examinees this year. 

"It takes some serious dedication to learn Japanese," Rigg said. "There are not many cognates; vocabulary can be challenging, and the sentence structure is very different. The key is to make steady progress." 

Rigg believes students have more opportunities than they may realize to engage with Japanese language and culture in Arkansas, citing the state's Japanese business presence, sister-city relationships and educational partnerships. 

She also credits her students for expanding her understanding of contemporary Japanese culture through discussions about media, music and anime. 

Rigg expressed special gratitude to Fukushima, who first taught her as an undergraduate linguistics student and later became a mentor throughout her academic and professional journey. She praised his efforts to build partnerships with universities across Japan and create opportunities for students to study abroad. 

Fukushima, head of the Japanese Program, has expressed his thoughts on Rigg's award: "As someone in charge of our Japanese program, I am very excited about [Rigg's] great accomplishment. I have been fortunate to nominate truly outstanding Japanese teaching faculty members in the past, and all of them have contributed greatly to the qualitative improvement of our program." 

Although Rigg may have begun her study of Japanese after her undergraduate studies, her dedication to learning is reflected strongly in her skill level.  

"[Rigg has] an official certificate at the career-ready level of the JLPT, the only international certification examination authorized by the Japanese government. [Her] accomplishment speaks eloquently of how much Japanese language proficiency will open doors to their careers in Arkansas and Japan," Fukushima said. "I am profoundly grateful for the Consulate-General of Japan for the logistical assistance that led to the designation of the University of Arkansas as a U.S. host institution, but it is ultimately our students and faculty who will make the difference in their future endeavors. I hope that all current students taking Japanese will follow [Rigg's] example in years to come." 

The impact of Rigg's teaching is demonstrated in the support she received from former students, with nine alumni submitting letters on her behalf.  

As a JET Program alumna, Rigg regularly encourages U of A students to study abroad, apply for the JET Program and participate in cultural exchange opportunities. She also supports Arkansas-Japan sister-city initiatives and shares information about international opportunities with students. 

"My goal is to have as many University of Arkansas students as possible study Japanese, go to Japan and apply for the JET Program," Rigg said. "It was a life-changing experience for me, and I want to help my students have those opportunities too." 

Rigg will be hosting a JET Program information session on Tuesday, Sept. 22, from 2 to 3 p.m. at the World Languages and Digital Humanities Studio (JBHT 207) for students interested in the JET Program or who would like to learn more. Tye Ebel, coordinator of the JET Program, will be a featured speaker.