Rudolph Khendis Ellis

Rudolph Khendis Ellis is a dedicated young leader from Orange Walk who was a high school English teacher when he was selected as a Fellow in 2004.  During this time, Khendis volunteered with the Service Learning Project, where he worked as the lead tutor on a literacy project for victims of Hurricane Katrina.  Also at this time, Khendis had gained experience working in HIV/AIDS issues.  In 2006, Khendis received a Summit Scholarship to complete his Bachelor’s Degree in Education at Grambling State University (GSU), where he graduated as Valedictorian of his class in 2009. In May 2011, Khendis completed a Master’s in Education at GSU, with funding from two scholarships.  While he pursued his Master’s, he contributed to the field of education by presenting papers on his research in ESL and distance learning at major conferences across the US.  His excellent academic work has presented an opportunity for him to complete a Doctorate in Education on a full fellowship from the Common Ground Consortium at the University of Minnesota. He is enrolling in the Doctoral program for Educational Leadership in the Spring 2012, and plans to return to Belize in 2014 to complete his research and write his dissertation.