July 15, 2022

Drexel University’s School of Education is proud to announce that Obadiah Baker, a student in the EdD in Educational Leadership and Management program, is a recipient of a prestigious Fulbright award for the 2022-2023 academic year. The Fulbright program is devoted to increasing mutual understanding between people of the United States and other countries and is the world’s largest and most diverse international educational exchange program.

Obadiah’s Fulbright award will take him to Israel where he will study the cross-cultural replication and power of shadow dance as a conflict resolution and global peace intervention technique, with a focus on the interplay of Israeli Gaga and American shadow dance on Israeli Jewish students' awareness of race and identity.

Mr. Baker is an award-winning independent film producer. In 2021, he produced and composed a film score for a documentary film titled, “The Shadow Between Us,” that tells the story of systemic racism and healing the divide through shadow dance. The film won “Official Selection” to the Toronto Black Film Festival.

Prior to his doctoral studies at Drexel, Mr. Baker graduated from the Interlochen Arts Academy, New England Conservatory of Music, and the University of Arkansas Grantham. He is the founder of Tender Hearts Crusade, a non-profit organization with a focus on community involvement. He also holds the rank of Major in the army and is a veteran of the war in Afghanistan.