Category: Fulbright

Summer Days in Tuscaloosa Reception Recognizes Visiting Fulbright Scholars

Summer Days in Tuscaloosa Reception Recognizes Visiting Fulbright Scholars

Xavier Nunes from Angola (left) and Miantso Soloharison from Madagascar (right) were among the visiting Fulbright scholars.

by Dr. Elisabetta Zengaro
Communications Specialist, Division of Community Affairs

The Division of Community Affairs’ Office of Global and Community Engagement hosted the inaugural Summer Days in Tuscaloosa reception to honor Fulbright scholars at 5:00 p.m. on June 5 at Capital Hall.

Visiting Fulbright scholars in attendance are from Indonesia, Panama, Russia, Mali, Iraq, Madagascar, Bahrain, South Korea, Burma (Myanmar), Argentina, West Bank, Japan, Slovenia, Angola, Egypt, Spain, Ukraine and Morocco. The event was held at Capital Hall’s Global Café, which serves as a campus hub for intercultural learning and interaction.

“When we envisioned Global Café and Language Partners, the emphasis on Fulbright, we could see an opportunity to have the world in this space,” said Dr. Samory Pruitt, vice president for Community Affairs. “We just appreciate you being here. We want you to know that this place is another home for you on campus.”

Dr. Fran Oneal, director of Global and Community Engagement and former Fulbright scholar, created the event to acquaint visiting scholars with summer activities to enjoy while in Tuscaloosa. The Global Café staff surveyed the campus community for recommendations for summer activities in Tuscaloosa and shared the results in a slide show at the event.

“The city and the campus change a lot when we go from May into June, and everything becomes very quiet, so we have collected many recommendations on how to enjoy summer days in Tuscaloosa,” Oneal said. “[Capital Hall] is a home for you. If there’s anything we can do to facilitate your having a great experience here for the summer, we’re glad to help you have a wonderful experience.”

Throughout the evening, attendees networked with UA’s Fulbright community over ice-breaker activities, while enjoying live jazz music and hors d’oeuvres.

“I’m having a very good experience here, and I would recommend this city to future Fulbrighters coming to the USA,” said Xavier Nunes, a visiting Fulbright scholar from Angola. “[During this event] I had the chance to meet people from different nationalities, different backgrounds, and these just help me to broaden my mindset and understanding of how people operate, and I would say that this is one of the most important things that I could take from this event.”

Alabama Fulbright Association Selects Dr. Beverly Hawk for Lifetime Achievement Award

Six people smiling

Photo credit: Photo courtesy of Auburn University Photographic Services.

Left to right: Dr. Elizabeth Quansah, director, Auburn University Outreach Global; Dr. John Bader, executive director, national Fulbright Association; Dr. Beverly Hawk, director of Global and Community Engagement, University of Alabama Division of Community Affairs; Dr. Stacey Nickson, director, Center for Educational Outreach and Engagement, Auburn University, and a member of the National Fulbright Association Board of Directors; Dr. Chippewa Thomas, director of the Auburn University Office of Faculty Engagement and president of the Fulbright Association Alabama chapter; and Dr. Samory T. Pruitt, vice president for Community Affairs, The University of Alabama.


by Dr. Ed Mullins
Director of Research and Communication, Division of Community Affairs

Dr. Beverly Hawk, director of Global and Community Engagement in the Division of Community Affairs at The University of Alabama, is the recipient of the Alabama Fulbright Association Chapter’s Lifetime Achievement Award. She is the first person to receive the award, which recognizes her many contributions and years of service to the Fulbright mission of mutual understanding through international educational exchange.

The award was presented in a ceremony at the President’s Home at Auburn University on May 10, commemorating the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Fulbright Program.

In a letter to Hawk, Dr. Chippewa Thomas, director of the Auburn University Office of Faculty Engagement, wrote: “As the current president of the Alabama Fulbright Association Chapter, I commend you for your long-standing commitment and meritorious service to the Fulbright Program … . Your work in the first 20 years as the founding president of the Alabama chapter has led to the fulfillment of the Fulbright mission … .”

In accepting the award, Hawk responded:

“My heart is full. To look around the room and see Fulbright alumni I have worked with in the Alabama chapter over the last 25 years brings back to me all the work we have done together building the Fulbright chapter, welcoming Fulbright visitors to our state, sharing our culture with them, and advising applicants to submit their applications to the national competition. I see some of the winners here tonight. I think of how our Fulbright chapter brought together the many different educational institutions of Alabama to work together for cultural understanding, and, historically, many had not worked together. We are a great success, and I am thrilled to be honored during our 75th Anniversary celebration of the Fulbright Program.”

Hawk was accompanied to the awards dinner by UA Vice President for Community Affairs Dr. Samory Pruitt. “Dr. Hawk has been instrumental in helping to make Fulbright opportunities for students and faculty at the University,” said Pruitt, to whom Hawk has reported for the past 10 years. Pruitt continued: “Hawk has applied wisdom from her own Fulbright experiences in Kenya, Malawi and Morocco in developing an innovative strategy” in recruiting UA students for Fulbright awards.

At the Auburn ceremony, as she presented the award to Hawk, Dr. Stacey Nickson of Auburn University, herself a Fulbright grant recipient to South Africa and Ghana, as well as a former chapter president and a member of the National Fulbright Association Board of Directors, said, “Like so many of us here, I was drawn to the Fulbright Program by Dr. Hawk. She literally changed the trajectory of my life and career by identifying my potential and mentoring me in becoming a Fulbrighter. We join here tonight to recognize her contributions to both the Fulbright program and its core mission of world peace.”

Three years after Hawk was asked to take on the task of promoting and recruiting Fulbrights, UA won national Top Producer status for the first time in its history. As a dedicated member of UA’s Fulbright advising team, Hawk has contributed to more than 100 student Fulbright awards and repeated national Fulbright Top Producer recognition for the University.

Thanks in large part to Hawk’s work, the Fulbright advising team at the University in 2022 can claim five research and study award winners and 10 English Teaching Awards, very likely earning UA another year in the Top Producer ranks.

As director of Global and Community Engagement in UA’s Center for Community-Based Partnerships, an initiative of the Division of Community Affairs, Hawk brings international students and UA students together as language partners to build ties and create mutual understanding.

A lifetime member of the Fulbright Association, Hawk is the founding president of the Alabama Chapter. In 2000, the U.S. secretaries of state and education honored Hawk with the Millennium International Volunteer Award for her initiatives in pursuing international understanding.

She describes her professional life as one “motivated by a desire to share the Fulbright ideal to promote mutual understanding through international educational engagement.”

Since Hawk began recruiting Fulbright student applicants to serve as English teaching assistants or to conduct research and study abroad, the University advising effort has grown and UA has been a national Top Producer five times.

Hawk rec­eived her bachelor’s degree in political science from John Carroll University, her master’s in African studies from Howard University, and a master’s and her PhD in political science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is the recipient of the Sigma Delta Chi Award Medallion of the Society of Professional Journalists for Africa Media Image, a book that shaped the field of media studies in the African studies discipline.

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UA Students Receive U.S. Fulbright Program Awards

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by Diane Kennedy-Jackson
Publications Coordinator, Division of Community Affairs

Tuscaloosa, Ala. – The University of Alabama is celebrating student achievements in the Fulbright Program. Five University of Alabama students have received Fulbright Student Research Awards and 10 have won Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship (ETA) Awards for the 2022–2023 academic year. Three students have won Fulbright Summer Study Awards to Canada. Additionally, four students were awarded alternate status in this year’s competition and may have the opportunity to serve abroad if more funding becomes available or if a finalist is unable to participate. They are Makenna Berry (Israel), Castiel Lisko (Romania), Marco Pflanzen (Colombia) and Declan Smith (Ireland).

“The Fulbright Program offers extraordinary opportunities for our students to deepen and expand the global learning experiences that they have on campus or through study abroad after they graduate. Our students’ time researching or teaching during their Fulbright year abroad has lasting impacts on their personal and professional lives,” said Dr. Teresa Wise, associate provost of international education and global outreach. “The cross-cultural dialogue and daily experiences that they share with the people of their host country help to build a better and a more peaceful world for us all. Congratulations to all of our winners and alternates.”

Fulbright is the most prestigious U.S. international exchange program, offering opportunities for students, scholars and professionals. The Fulbright Award of the U.S. Department of State offers one-year grants for independent study and research and for English teaching assistantships overseas. The highly competitive program selects approximately 1,500 award recipients from more than 11,000 applicants each year. The University of Alabama has received national recognition as a Top Producing Institution for Fulbright U.S. Students five times in recent years.

“Our Fulbright team is proud to introduce each of these honorees to the public and recognize the international resources on the UA campus that prepared them for success in international academic engagement,” said Dr. Beverly Hawk, director of global and community engagement at the Center for Community-Based Partnerships. “Their Fulbright Awards are opportunities for them to share their U.S. culture and build ties with the people in their host communities.”

Fulbright Student Research Award recipients:

  • Mathew Cieśla, of Northport, received a Fulbright Award in cognitive science to research “Early Neural Correlates of Adult Second Language Learning” at the University of Warsaw in Poland. He is a 2022 graduate with an interdisciplinary degree in psycholinguistics and foreign languages with studies in German and Polish. He is also an active contributor to the professional published literature in his field. He served as a mentor for students with autism spectrum disorder at UA-ACTS and as a volunteer at the UA Speech and Hearing Center summer clinic. His experience is drawn from research at the Jülich Forschungszentrum in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany and professional work at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.
  • Andrew Deaton, of Auburn, Georgia, received a Fulbright Award to research “The Czech Hussite Wars and the Rise of Modernity” at the Centre for Medieval Studies in Prague and the Dissident Networks Project at Masaryk University, Brno, in the Czech Republic. A doctoral candidate in history at UA, he is a Blount Scholars Fellow and holds a BA from the University of Georgia and an MA from UA. He studied the Czech language at the University of Pittsburgh and archival research at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C. His academic leadership has been recognized with the Max Kele Award of the European History Section of the Southern Historical Association.
  • Ihuoma Ezebuihe, of Washington, D.C., received a Fulbright Award to research “Translation and Validation of the Michigan Diabetes Knowledge Test (MDKT) in Nigeria” at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, College of Medicine. She is a 3rd-year PhD student in nursing science at the Capstone College of Nursing at UA. She holds a master’s in public health, a master’s in community health and clinical doctorates in medicine and nursing practice. During her Fulbright year, she will serve as a bridge between medical professionals in the U.S. and Nigeria, translating the most widely used diabetes knowledge survey and education instrument into the Igbo language, spoken by 23 million Nigerians, and validating the psychometric properties of the translated instrument. She is a member of the Physicians Committee, American Public Health Association, The Transcultural Society of Nursing and Sigma Theta Tau, the international honor society of nursing. Through her work, she seeks to share with the health community in Nigeria an important tool, the MDKT, in a form that is accessible to many of the public in their language and with respect for their culture. After her Fulbright study, she will deposit her published results and training materials with the Michigan Diabetes Research and Training Center to support professionals seeking to expand the benefits of the MDKT in years to come.
  • Tegan Murrell, of Western Springs, Illinois, received a Fulbright Award to the University of Oslo, Norway, to study how trauma has passed across the generations among immigrants. A 2021 UA summa cum laude graduate in mathematics with a minor in creative writing, holding both a BS and MA, she will be engaging with her host community through poetry and sharing the experiences of her matrilineal Norwegian ancestry. An Honors College mentor and campus leader in the presentation of the written word, she will complete her poetry manuscript while serving in Norway.
  • Samuel Watson, of Hazel Green, received a Fulbright Award to pursue a Master of Arts degree in Korean Studies at Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea. A 2022 Honors College graduate in computer science with a minor in Korean language, he now holds the distinction of winning four highly competitive national awards: the Gilman Scholarship Award, the Boren Scholarship Award, the Critical Language Scholarship Award and the Fulbright Award during his undergraduate years. At UA, he is a Coca-Cola First Generation Scholar, a member of the International Peer Advisory Council, an ESL language partner at Global Café and a member of the International Students Association. He is currently a Korean language trainer for the UA Critical Languages Center. In Korea, he has served as an ESL instructor in Namu Children’s Center in Seoul and as a full-time English teacher at Ansan University. Through these studies at UA and in Korea, he has developed advanced language proficiency in Korean and a foundation in Korean studies to support his academic plan at Yonsei University.

Fulbright ETA Awards offer U.S. students the opportunity to serve in an English classroom overseas, assisting the teacher and exchanging culture with the people of the host country.

Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship Award recipients:

  • Judson Braly, of Fairhope, a 2022 graduate in history with a minor in civic engagement and leadership, will teach English in Kenya. During his time at UA, he served as battalion commander of Army ROTC, co-captain of the Ranger Challenge Team and assistant public affairs officer on the ROTC Public Affairs Team. Braly is currently an ambassador for the College of Arts and Sciences and has also served as secretary of the Undergraduate Historical Society and as a mentor in the UA History Peer Mentoring Program. In summer 2021, he participated in the USAFRICOM Volunteer Internship Program, where he served as narrator for the African Senior Enlisted Leaders Conference (attended by more than 20 African partner nations). Braly came to UA on an Army ROTC Three-Year (Active Duty) National Scholarship and will be commissioned as an Army aviation officer. Many Kenyans have excellent skills in English and Braly seeks to contribute to ESL classes for Kenyans who are seeking to build their international competitiveness by expanding their English fluency. Through his work, he will share his American culture and bring Kenyans into international training opportunities through cultural knowledge and language fluency
  • Nicholas Hayes, of Long Valley, New Jersey, a 2022 summa cum laude Honors College graduate with a BA in German with a minor in interdisciplinary linguistics and a BA in mathematics with minors in psychology and physics, Phi Beta Kappa member, has been selected to teach in Germany. With superior/distinguished fluency in German and work experience as a translator, tutor and teacher, he has speaking and writing skills that will make him an asset to his host school, language classroom and local community. A Boren Scholar (Tanzania), Hollings Scholar (environmental science) and Randall Research Scholar (four years), he has extensive leadership experience with the UA Environmental Council, the Journal of Science and Health at The University of Alabama (JOSHUA) and the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, as well as TEDx University of Alabama. In addition to his selection for the Fulbright honor this year, he was chosen as one of 32 Americans to receive a Rhodes Scholarship for study at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. He is the 16th Rhodes Scholar in UA’s history.
  • Sarah Homoky, of Kingsport, Texas, is a 2021 graduate in anthropology, biology and German, an Honors College Randall Research Scholar and a member of Delta Phi Alpha German Honor Society and Lambda Alpha Anthropology Honor Society. With advanced fluency in the German language, further developed through her experience in Germany with the prestigious GAPP program and a Bell endowed scholarship for an academic semester in Mannheim, she will teach in Germany.
  • Lauren L’Etang, of Northport, brings Spanish fluency, experience as a graduate teacher in the language classroom and a master’s degree in Spanish linguistics to teach in Mexico. She is a 2019 summa cum laude Honors College graduate in Spanish and international studies with a minor in music. A Phi Beta Kappa member, Spanish interpreter at the UA Speech and Hearing Center and former AmeriCorps member, she has completed coursework in Latin American studies and intensive Spanish at Universidad de Belgrano (Argentina) and plans to share cultural treasures from her choral work and performances in Argentina and the U.S.
  • John “Jack” Lombardo, of Schenectady, New York, was selected to teach in Germany. A secondary education and German major, he plans to pursue a career in education. His campus activities include the UA rowing team, recruitment of its applicants and campus orientation for new members. Through his mentorship, he taught new students college skills and contributed to their success at the collegiate level. He is a member of Phi Sigma Pi National Honor Society. He has tutored German at Tuscaloosa Academy and among UA students. Through his academic study and his foreign exchange experience in Germany, he has developed German language fluency.
  • Marie Neubrander, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, will teach in Taiwan. A UA Honors College student and Randall Research Scholar, she graduated summa cum laude in mathematics and computer science with a minor in economics. She is a co-founder of UA Planned Parenthood Generation Action (recipient of UA top student organization award) and is a member of The XXXI, an honor society that recognizes the most outstanding women at UA. She represented the Honors College as an ambassador to the public and potential students. She will use this experience as she represents U.S. culture in her host community in Taiwan.
  • Wesley Clay Richmond, of Cypress, Texas, a 2021 summa cum laude graduate in history with a minor in German, will teach English in Germany. His years on the Alabama campus included participation in the Million Dollar Band, service as an Al’s Pals elementary school tutor and mentor, and translation volunteer for the Wendish Research Exchange. He has experience in Germany with a 2019 stay in Telgte, Nordrhein-Westfalen, sister city of his neighbor Tomball, Texas. Born in West Virginia, Richmond plans to share the Appalachian culture of his youth with his host city. His Fulbright in Germany will allow him to apply his advanced German language skills and share his well-rounded experience in American culture.
  • Channler Dakota Smith, of Town Creek, a 2022 graduate in electrical engineering with a minor in math who is active as a language partner and tutor in UA’s Global Café, will teach in Taiwan. He has studied two years of Mandarin, has Chinese language skills assessed at intermediate and has engaged with language partners from China and Korea as a language partner for English learners for four years. Active in the Computer Science Club, Chess Club, Engineering Club and the Japanese Language and Culture Club, Smith has served as a mentor for many new students and international scholars. He has expanded his studies of Asian cultures and languages through his Gilman Award to Korea during his senior year. He anticipates expanding his fluency in Mandarin and developing his understanding of culture as he shares his own northwest Alabama culture with his students and community in Taiwan.
  • Bryan Winkler, of York, Pennsylvania, will teach in Spain. With his Master of Arts in Romance languages and a specialty in Spanish literature and his Bachelor of Arts in Spanish with a minor in global and cultural perspectives, summa cum laude, he brings exceptional preparation and academic maturity to his Fulbright service. He was recognized by UA with the Distinguished Undergraduate Scholar Award (highest scholastic average in the college) and the George Griffen Brownell Sr. Award for excellence in Spanish (best overall undergraduate student). He brings experience from his work as a graduate teaching assistant in the Spanish department, academic experience from conference presentations and his forthcoming publications in two academic journals, El Cid and Celestinesca, management experience as a resident advisor and international experience from his internship and studies abroad in Bolivia and Spain.
  • Leona Yeager, of Northport, will teach in Mongolia. An Honors College graduate and member of Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society, she holds degrees in international studies and interdisciplinary studies, summa cum laude, with a focus in international relations in Asia and interdisciplinary health sciences. She brings a certificate in teaching English as a foreign language and experience as a language partner, mentor and tutor through UA Global Café, the ESL program at Shelton State Community College, the UA Learning Initiative and Financial Training ESL and Math program, Tide Watch and Al’s Pals. As a member of New College, she represented her program to the larger community and will take this experience to Mongolia, where she will share her U.S. culture as she learns from her host community.

Fulbright Award to Canada recipients:

Three UA students were awarded Fulbright Canada – MITACS Globalink Internships for summer 2022. The Fulbright-MITACS Globalink is intended for U.S. students to undertake advanced research projects in Canada.

  • Abigail Foes, of Rockford, Illinois, majoring in mathematics and chemistry with a minor in global health and the Randall Research Scholars Program and member of the UA Honors College, will be contributing to research in Quebec, Canada, titled “Monitoring exposure to food toxins using mass spectrometry.”
  • Abbie Giunta, of Onalaska, Wisconsin, majoring in French and biology with a minor in the Randall Research Scholars Program and a member of the Honors College, will be contributing to research in New Brunswick, Canada, titled “Les instruments territoriaux en contexte de gouvernance locale / Territorial policy instruments in local governance context.”
  • Anna Kate Manchester, of Brentwood, Tennessee, majoring in history and political science with a minor in the Randall Research Scholars Program and a member of the Honors College, will be contributing to research in Ontario, Canada, titled “Meaningful Stakeholder Engagement in Resource-Rich Communities: A Study of Global South and High North Cases.”

UA Fulbright advisers Megan Legerski, Dr. Matthew Feminella, Dr. Beverly Hawk and Dr. Lucy Kaufman helped students polish applications for success in the national Fulbright competition. Students with an interest in applying for next year’s Fulbright program can learn more at http://international.ua.edu and https://us.fulbrightonline.org, or email fulbright@ua.edu.

26 Named Semifinalists for U.S. Student Fulbright Program

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Twenty-six University of Alabama (UA) students have been named semifinalists for the U.S. Student Fulbright Program. Their applications will now be forwarded to their respective host countries around the world for further consideration. Students selected as finalists will receive a Fulbright award and could live abroad as teachers, graduate students, or researchers for the 2022–2023 academic year.

The Fulbright Program is the most prestigious U.S. international exchange program, offering opportunities for students, scholars and professionals. The Fulbright Award of the U.S. Department of State offers one-year grants for independent study and research, as well as for English teaching assistantships overseas. The highly competitive program selects approximately 1,500 award recipients from more than 11,000 applicants each year.

“All 44 of UA’s Fulbright 2022–2023 student applicants should be applauded for their interest in furthering the Fulbright mission of mutual understanding between the peoples of the U.S. and those of other countries,” said Dr. Teresa Wise, associate provost of international education and global outreach. “As the world unites in solving the ongoing challenges of COVID-19, that mission is more important than ever.

“We are eagerly awaiting host country selections of finalists and offer our best wishes to these semifinalists as they move to the next level of the competition.”

Eight UA students have been selected as semifinalists for graduate study and research:

Makenna Berry, urban studies, Israel

Mathew Ciesla, cognitive science, Poland

Andrew Deaton, history, Czech Republic

Ihuoma Ezebuihe, nursing, Nigeria

Tegan Murrell, creative writing, Norway

Declan Smith, history, Ireland

Nathaniel Trost, installation art, United Kingdom

Samuel Watson, Korean studies, South Korea

Eighteen students were selected as semifinalists for the Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to teach in a classroom overseas for a year: Madeleine Bohnett (Colombia), Judson Braly (Kenya), Heather Gann (North Macedonia), Nicholas Hayes (Germany), Sarah Homoky (Germany), Lauren L’Etang (Mexico), Vanessa Lent (Costa Rica), Caroline Lisko (Romania), John Lombardo (Germany), Otavio Menezes (Indonesia), Mary Marie Neubrander (Taiwan), Wesley Richmond (Germany), Channler Smith (Taiwan), Matthew Southern (Spain), Marie Trestrail (Germany), Aidan Winiewicz (Germany), Bryan Winkler (Spain) and Leona Yeager (Mongolia). If selected in the final round, they will live and work abroad representing their American culture and learning about daily life in another country.

“We appreciate the dedicated faculty, staff and administrators who advise our students each year in application for these awards,” said Dr. Beverly Hawk, director of global and community engagement. “As we await news of finalist status from around the globe, we hold immense pride in these exceptional student leaders and the manner in which they represent The University of Alabama and the U.S.”

A team of Fulbright advisers from UA’s Capstone International Center, the modern languages and classics department and the Center for Community-Based Partnerships helps students polish applications for success in the Fulbright competition each year.


Students interested in applying for next year’s Fulbright Program can learn more at http://international.ua.edu and https://us.fulbrightonline.org, or by sending an email to UA’s Fulbright advisers Megan Legerski, Dr. Matthew Feminella and Dr. Beverly Hawk at fulbright@ua.edu.

UA Students Win Fulbright Awards

by Diane Kennedy-Jackson
Publications Coordinator, Division of Community Affairs

Note: This story was updated Oct. 27, 2021 to reflect the addition of Matthew “Drake” Southern as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship Award recipient. 

Tuscaloosa, Ala. – A University of Alabama student has received a Fulbright Student Research Award and five students have won Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship Awards for the 2021–2022 academic year. Additionally, two UA students were awarded alternate status in this year’s national Fulbright competition. In addition to this year’s winners, five UA Fulbright Student Award recipients from last year who had their awards delayed as a result of COVID-19 conditions in their host countries are expected to have an opportunity to serve in 2021–2022 as health conditions improve and travel restrictions ease.

Fulbright is the most prestigious U.S. international exchange program, offering opportunities for students, scholars and professionals. The Fulbright Award of the U.S. Department of State offers one-year grants for independent study and research and for English teaching assistantships overseas.

The highly competitive program selects approximately 1,500 award recipients from more than 11,000 applicants each year. The University of Alabama has received national recognition as a Top Producing Institution for Fulbright U.S. Students for five of the last six years.

“During a year of extraordinary challenges, every Fulbright student applicant and their faculty and staff advisors rose to those challenges by demonstrating a commitment to the vital work of advancing intercultural understanding throughout the world,” said Dr. Teresa Wise, associate provost of international education and global outreach. “No matter the circumstances, UA remains steadfast in providing such global learning opportunities to all of our students. We congratulate our 2021–2022 awardees and alternates, as well as those from last year who will now begin their Fulbright experience after a delay due to the ongoing pandemic.”

Fulbright Student Research Award recipient:

  • Malik Seals, of Columbus, Mississippi, received a Fulbright Award to research “Pregnancy and Multiple Sclerosis: Investigating Nature’s Immunosuppressant” at Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin in Berlin, Germany. A 2020 UA Honors College graduate in biological sciences, he has been honored with the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award and membership in Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., the Anderson Society, the Jasons Senior Men’s Honorary, Omicron Delta Kappa, Alpha Epsilon Delta and the Black Student Union Hall of Fame, and he served as president of the National Pan-Hellenic Council. He is currently a graduate student in immunology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham where he is an Albert Schweitzer Fellow.

Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship (ETA) Awards offer U.S. students the opportunity to serve in an English classroom overseas assisting the teacher and exchanging culture with the people of the host country.

The 2021–2022 recipients are:

  • Lindsey Drost, of Holland, Michigan, an experienced English Language tutor and Spanish educator in the Tuscaloosa City Schools and a UA English Language Institute conversation partner, who graduated summa cum laude with a BA in German and Spanish and received awards for excellence in German and the best essay in Spanish. Currently enrolled in UA’s master’s program in education, she was selected to teach in Germany.
  • Logan Fenhouse, of Lombard, Illinois, a Blount Interdisciplinary Scholar in the liberal arts, former leader of Beyond Bama Alternative Breaks, Spanish interpreter at Maude Whatley Health Center and mentor with experience tutoring all ages. A 2020 summa cum laude Honors College graduate with degrees in Spanish and interdisciplinary studies and fluency in Spanish, she was chosen to teach in the Canary Islands of Spain.
  • Michael Fisher, of Auburn, a 2020 UA graduate in international relations and German, brings teaching experience in programs that engage communities with special needs (Easter Seals, Best Buddies, Miracle League of Tuscaloosa and Night to Shine Prom) and international experience in Nicaragua. During his Fulbright year of service, he plans to share his American culture through his guitar presentations and music exchanges and build community through service in the classroom and civic organizations. He was chosen to teach in Germany.
  • Matthew “Drake” Southern, of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, a 2019 UA Honors College graduate in Spanish and Religious Studies and a 2021 MA graduate in Spanish Literature with superior/distinguished fluency in Spanish.  He brings experience as a graduate teacher in the Spanish department, a teacher at The Capitol School, assistant children’s director at Forest Lake UMC, preschool teacher with American Christian Academy, a tutor in English, History, and Algebra at Central High School, a mentor with Proyecto Peru in Cusco, Peru, and a peer tutor in Spanish and Math, completing his TESOL certificate in October 2021.  A guitar teacher, he plans to engage with his host community and language students by learning and sharing folk music. He was chosen to teach in the Canary Islands of Spain.
  • Natasha Stevanovich, of Washington, Michigan, a Delta Phi Alpha German Honor Society and Omicron Delta Kappa Honor Society member, UA German Club President, Outstanding Service in German award recipient, Model United Nations Club member, Tuscaloosa County Schools ESL Tutor and UA English Language Institute conversation partner. A 2021 Honors College graduate in German and psychology with a minor in creative media with study experience at Humboldt University in Germany and advanced fluency in German, she was selected to teach in Germany.

The two students who were awarded alternate status for 2021–2022 are Chynna Swann (Thailand) and Katie Tindol (Malaysia). They will be invited to serve should more openings become available.

Recipients of 2020–2021 ETA Awards whose travel was delayed are:

  • Camille Constance Nealey Carr, of Wake Forest, North Carolina, a Blackburn Institute Fellow, a Blount Interdisciplinary Scholar in the liberal arts and a 2019 summa cum laude Honors College graduate in Spanish and political science with fluency in the Spanish language. Currently a secondary education math teacher, she was selected to teach in Colombia.
  • Isabella Rose DeSheplo,of Washington, D.C., a Blackburn Institute Fellow, a member of the Carl A. Elliott Community Service Honor Society and a 2020 UA Honors College graduate with a BA and MA in political science and a minor in public policy studies. She was selected to teach in Bulgaria.
  • Robert “Chad” Hankins, of Mobile, a Blount Interdisciplinary Scholar in the liberal arts, member of The Mallet Assembly and The White Rose Society, certified teacher of English as a Foreign Language and a 2018 graduate in political science with a minor in German, advanced German language competency and the Global Studies Certificate Hankins served as a campaign staff manager for a political action committee for the 2020 U.S. presidential election and is currently enrolled in American University’s School of International Service for the MA in International Affairs: Comparative and Regional Studies. He was selected to teach in Germany.
  • Katherine Lightfoot, of Northport, a discussion facilitator with the UA English Language Institute, an active leader in Model United Nations and German Club, a member of Phi Beta Kappa, a Delta Phi Alpha German Honor Society member, a 2019 Honors College graduate in international studies and foreign languages and a Critical Language Scholarship recipient. She is enrolled in graduate studies in German at UA and was selected to teach in Germany.
  • Ian Samlowski,of Madison, an instructor of German in the department of modern languages and classics, a translator for the Birmingham Holocaust Education Center and a fluent German speaker. He holds BA and MA degrees in German from UA with membership in Delta Phi Alpha German Honor Society and was selected to teach in Germany.

“Our campus is proud of these exceptional student leaders in international engagement,” said Dr. Beverly Hawk, director of global and community engagement at the Center for Community-Based Partnerships, “and we appreciate the dedicated faculty, staff and administrators who worked with our students in application for these awards.”

UA Fulbright advisers Megan Wagner Legerski, Dr. Matthew Feminella, and Dr. Beverly Hawk help students polish applications for success in the national Fulbright competition each year. Students with an interest in applying for next year’s Fulbright program can learn more at http://international.ua.edu and https://us.fulbrightonline.org, or email fulbright@ua.edu.

UA Recognized as Student Fulbright Awards Top Producer; Sets University Record

FulbrightTopProducer2021

TUSCALOOSA — For the fifth time in six years, The University of Alabama was recognized as a Top Producing Institution for Fulbright U.S. Student Awards. Additionally, the 2020–2021 cohort sets a new University record with 17 students receiving Fulbright Award offers.

“We are immensely proud of our student Fulbright scholars, all of whom have earned a priceless opportunity to teach and conduct research in other countries,” said UA President Stuart R. Bell. “Not only will they grow personally and intellectually by building relationships with likeminded peers across cultures, they are also furthering UA’s mission of transforming lives throughout the world through distinctive academic and research projects.”

Now in its 75th year, the Fulbright U.S. Student Program is the premier educational exchange program of the United States Department of State. The Fulbright Award offers grants for independent study and research and for English teaching assistantships overseas. The highly competitive program selects about 2,200 award recipients from more than 10,000 applicants each year.

“UA’s repeated recognition as a Top Producer of Student Fulbright Awards reflects the quality of our applicants and the dedication of our faculty and staff to providing all students with a global perspective during their time at the Capstone,” said Dr. Teresa Wise, associate provost for International Education & Global Outreach. “The challenges of the pandemic have altered our delivery methods but not our devotion to offering a world-class and world-focused education.”

The UA students who received Fulbright Award offers in this year’s national competition are: Christine Allen (Spain), Austin Blair (Germany), Mason Olivia Blanke (Poland), Camille Carr (Colombia), Julia Coursey (Hungary), Caroline Smith Dean (Spain), Isabella Rose DeSheplo (Bulgaria), Lota Erinne (Spain), Logan Fenhouse (Spain), Amelia Wyant Gaither (Taiwan), Robert “Chad” Hankins (Germany), Asia Hayes (Spain), Joshua Kirks (Germany), Katherine Lightfoot (Germany), Ashley Tickle Odebiyi (Italy), Rebecca Paholski (Spain) and Ian Samlowski (Germany).

“These brilliant students deserve admiration for their dedication to their studies, and our university takes pride in their Fulbright honors,” said Dr. Beverly Hawk, director of global and community engagement in the Division of Community Affairs’ Center for Community-Based Partnerships. “We wish them all success as international travel resumes, educational institutions reopen, and winners have the opportunity to go abroad and serve.”

UA Again Recognized as a Top Producing Institution for Fulbright U.S. Student Program

Upcoming Event: Fulbright Scholarships for UA

A recognition luncheon and information session will take place Thursday, Feb. 22 from 11:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m. in Capital Hall on The University of Alabama campus. Lunch will be provided and all are welcome. There is no charge.

The event will recognize Fulbright alumni, welcome Fulbright visitors and encourage new Fulbright applicants. Fulbright Award winners will share their Fulbright experiences. Representatives from the Capstone International Center, as well as UA scholarship officials and members of the Global Café Fulbright Advising Initiative will be present. Parking passes for the event will be available at the Capital Hall front desk.

TUSCALOOSA — The University of Alabama has once again been recognized as a top producing institution for Fulbright U.S. Student Awards, according to “The Chronicle of Higher Education.” Fifteen of 47 UA applicants received the award for 2017–2018, one of the highest winning percentages in the nation. Additionally, this year’s Fulbright success makes UA the leader in the Southeastern Conference. This is the second time in the past three years UA has been recognized as a top Fulbright U.S. Student Program producer.

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program offers grants for independent study and research and for English teaching assistantships overseas. The highly competitive program selects approximately 1,500 award recipients from over 10,000 applicants each year.

“Our record success in placing students in the Fulbright U.S. Student Program demonstrates the far-reaching international scope of our excellent academic programs and the high value of a University of Alabama education,” said Dr. Kevin Whitaker, UA provost. “We continue to take pride in the many excellent and promising young people who choose UA for their academic studies.”

Ten UA graduates won awards as teaching assistants and five UA graduates received Fulbright awards for research and study for the 2017–2018 academic year.

“It is an honor for UA to be listed as a top producer in the U.S. Student Fulbright competition,” said Dr. Teresa Wise, associate provost for international education and global outreach. “The Fulbright Program provides life-changing opportunities and experiences for our students.”

University of Alabama graduates serving abroad on Fulbright Awards are Ruth Bishop (Colombia), Erica Boden (Bulgaria), Benjamin Canady (South Korea), Kathryn “Katie” Cater (Poland), Kelsey Daugherty (Germany), Brittany Groves (Germany), Jonathan Joyner (Sri Lanka), Jackson Knappen (Spain), Alexandra LeViness (Germany), Julia Quan (Macedonia), Charlotte Sheridan (Jordan), Ann Varnedoe (Spain), Sarah Dylan Walker (Macau), Kevin Ryan Williams (United Kingdom), and Emily Zapinski (Malaysia).

“Few universities in the nation win 15 Fulbright Awards,” said Dr. Beverly Hawk, UA Fulbright program adviser. “Top Producer recognition is the result of many hours of work on the part of our great students, the dedicated faculty and supervisors who advise and recommend, and university administrators who advocate for international learning on our campus. Everyone takes pride in this great victory.”

Other top producers among research institutions this year include Brown (39), Michigan (25), Harvard (24), Texas-Austin (20), Tulane (15), Yale (13), Virginia (12), Duke and Emory (11), and UNC-Chapel Hill (10). For the full list of top student Fulbright program producers, see https://www.chronicle.com/article/Top-Producers-of-Fulbright/242557.

Students interested in applying for next year’s Fulbright program can learn more at international.ua.edu and us.fulbrightonline.org, or by sending an email to beverly.hawk@ua.edu.

The University of Alabama, a student-centered research university, is experiencing significant growth in both enrollment and academic quality. This growth, which is positively impacting the campus and the state’s economy, is in keeping with UA’s vision to be the university of choice for the best and brightest students. UA, the state’s flagship university, is an academic community united in its commitment to enhancing the quality of life for all Alabamians.