Twenty-six University of Notre Dame students and alumni have been awarded Fulbright U.S. Student Program grants to teach or study abroad during the 2021-22 academic year, while another 11 have been selected as alternates for the award. Eight placements are in Asia, and Mary Rzepczynski, who is earning a supplementary major in Asian Studies, has received a research grant to Bulgaria.
The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international exchange program, offering grants to undergraduate and graduate students and alumni to research, study or teach abroad.
Notre Dame has been a top producer of Fulbright students for seven consecutive years. The University had 29 Fulbright students last year and 20 the year before that. Last year’s winners had the option to defer the award because of the coronavirus pandemic, which disrupted travel and led to the delay or cancellation of many study abroad programs because of concerns about the spread of the virus and the corresponding risk to public health and safety.
Notre Dame students and alumni apply for the Fulbright program with help from the Flatley Center for Undergraduate Scholarly Engagement (CUSE) or the Graduate School’s Office of Grants and Fellowships.
“I’d like to congratulate all of the Notre Dame students and alumni who were recognized by the Fulbright U.S. Student Program this year,” said Jeffrey Thibert, the Paul and Maureen Stefanick Director of CUSE. “It was an especially competitive year, given that the program saw a record number of applicants for a limited number of openings, since many grants were automatically taken up by deferrals from last year’s competition. The fact that the University’s results this year are still roughly consistent with last year’s, despite the increased competition, is a testament to the strengths of both our CUSE and Graduate School advisers and our applicants. We’d like to thank all of the faculty, administrators and staff who worked with applicants directly and contributed to the excellent global education that Notre Dame provides.”
Laura Carlson, vice president, associate provost and dean of the Graduate School, said, “In this record-breaking year for Fulbright application numbers across the country, we are very proud of the strong showing of our graduate students in this year’s competition. Through their research and teaching activities and in their roles as cultural ambassadors, our students will bring much-needed hope, knowledge and goodwill with them as they venture into a world full of need. We wish them well as they bring the best of Notre Dame to their host countries.”
The 26 finalists are:
- Theresa Azemar, English and American studies, class of 2021, English teaching assistantship to Belgium.
- Elsa Barron, biological sciences and peace studies (supplemental), class of 2021, research grant to India.
- Colleen Bartlett, psychology, class of 2021, English teaching assistantship to Spain.
- Sarah Crane, doctor of peace studies and history, study and research grant to Germany.
- Colin de Guzman, master of education (Alliance for Catholic Education), English teaching assistantship to South Korea.
- Maya Elliott, political science and Spanish, class of 2021, English teaching assistantship to Spain.
- Caroline Elser, history and political science, class of 2021, English teaching assistantship to Slovakia.
- Caroline Freeman, American studies, class of 2021, English teaching assistantship to Montenegro.
- Sarah Galbenski, Spanish and global affairs, class of 2021, study grant to Spain.
- Olivia Jazbutis, neuroscience and behavior and history, class of 2021, English teaching assistantship to Spain.
- Michael Kenney, master of education (Alliance for Catholic Education), English teaching assistantship to the Czech Republic.
- Christian McGrew, political science, class of 2019, English teaching assistantship to Taiwan.
- Mihow McKenny, doctor of history, study and research grant to Spain.
- Charlie Osborne, computer science, class of 2018, English teaching assistantship to Taiwan.
- Micaiah Palmer, master of global affairs, study and research grant to Ethiopia.
- Susan Peters, international economics (Chinese), class of 2021, English teaching assistantship to Taiwan.
- Kelsi Ray, doctor of medieval studies, study and research grant to Israel.
- Sara Rani Reddy, chemistry and French, class of 2021, English teaching assistantship to Luxembourg.
- Madison Restivo, economics and film, television and theater, class of 2021, English teaching assistantship to Spain.
- Jill Ruane, mathematics, class of 2021, English teaching assistantship to Germany.
- Mary Rzepczynski, architecture and Asian studies (supplemental), class of 2021, research grant to Bulgaria.
- Margaret Schlich, English, class of 2021, English teaching assistantship to Norway.
- Noémi Toroczkai, anthropology, class of 2021, English teaching assistantship to South Korea.
- Jake Turner, doctor of political science, study and research grant to Brazil.
- Alexis Waldschmidt, biological sciences and Chinese, class of 2021, English teaching assistantship to Taiwan.
- Olivia Wright, English, class of 2021, English teaching assistantship to Spain.
Both CUSE and the Graduate School Office of Grants and Fellowships are currently recruiting applicants for the 2022-23 Fulbright U.S. Student Program. For more information, visit cuse.nd.edu/Fulbright or graduateschool.nd.edu/graduate-training/research-communication/the-office-of-grants-and-fellowships.
Contact: Erin Blasko, assistant director of media relations, 574-631-4127, eblasko@nd.edu
Originally published by at news.nd.edu on May 19, 2021.