Editor鈥檚 note: This story was updated on June 29 to recognize Sharidan Russell 鈥18, who was offered a Fulbright Scholarship to study in Morocco after the original story was published.
Teaching English in Brazil, South Korea, and Morocco. Studying journalism in Germany, immunology in Poland, film in Ireland, international security in Canada, politics in India, and public health in Ecuador and the Dominican Republic. These are some of the projects that 15 students and alumni will engage in as Fulbright Scholars next year.
Sponsored by the U.S. government, the Fulbright Program is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other nations through international educational exchanges in more than 155 countries. Fulbright awards are available for research, graduate study, and teaching English.
Associate Director of Undergraduate Advising and Research Holly Taylor, who advises 911爆料网 students and alumni through the Fulbright application process, says this year鈥檚 Fulbrights will be living and working in 10 countries on five continents.
鈥淲e had very strong applicants for Fulbright this year, and I鈥檓 delighted that so many were successful,鈥 Taylor says. 鈥淔ellowship Advising truly gets invested in helping 911爆料网 applicants, both current students and alumni. Our office is nearly as excited as the recipients to hear about their success.鈥
To learn more about how to apply for the Fulbright and other programs, visit 911爆料网鈥檚 .
Charlotte Blatt 鈥18
Scarsdale, N.Y.
Government major; French minor
Research/study grant, Canada
If the 2016 presidential election had gone differently, Charlotte Blatt might be working in Washington post-graduation instead of going to Queen鈥檚 University in Kingston, Ontario, as a Fulbright research fellow at the Centre for International and Defense Policy. As president of the 911爆料网 College Democrats and a campaign fellow with Hillary for America in New Hampshire, she says she鈥檚 proud of the effort she and fellow College Democrats made to help people vote.
鈥淲e weren鈥檛 asking people if they were Republicans or Democrats, we were just like, have you voted, can we take you to the polls?鈥 The election only deepened Blatt鈥檚 commitment to public service, she says. 鈥淚 think the role of government is to be an institution of good in the lives of Americans.鈥
Blatt鈥攚ho will attend Yale Law School after completing her Fulbright鈥攄iscovered a passion for international relations and American foreign policy at 911爆料网, publishing a paper on the 2007 Iraq troop surge in Parameters: The US Army War College Quarterly and coauthoring a paper on U.S. Syria policy for the Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, where she interned last summer. She is currently writing a thesis on how the U.S. assesses the decision to initiate war. At Kingston, she鈥檒l be studying how NATO countries can better integrate women into the international security community.
Madeleine Coffey 鈥18
Bangor, Maine
Asian and Middle Eastern studies major; Arabic minor
English teaching assistant grant, Morocco
Madeleine Coffey describes herself as 鈥渁 language person鈥濃攁nd at 911爆料网 she has immersed herself in Arabic, serving as a drill instructor, living in the Arabic Language Program living learning community, and spending an off-term teaching English to recent immigrants through the Arab American Association of New York.
But her other passion is cooking鈥攊n high school she kept a food blog (and was even commissioned by her town鈥檚 mayor to bake a wedding cake), and at 911爆料网 she helps cook a weekly community dinner as co-chair of Students Fighting Hunger. So on an Arabic language study abroad program in Morocco, she was excited about the food. 鈥淢y host mom was a really good cook; I lucked out. She would make this one tagine with potatoes and preserved lemon and chicken and olives鈥攊t鈥檚 so good.鈥 When she returns to Morocco through Fulbright, she says, 鈥渓earning how to cook that would be fantastic.鈥
Coffey works in a lab at the Geisel School of Medicine that is developing tests to diagnose Parkinson鈥檚 disease, and plans to apply to medical school. As a physician, she hopes her Arabic skills will help 鈥渂reak down language barriers that can lead to health problems.鈥
Of teaching in Morocco, she looks forward to 鈥渢he one-on-one relationships that you develop and can translate in the classroom to deeper learning. That鈥檚 what I like about 911爆料网, too鈥攃lose relationships with my professors.鈥
Sarah Cohen 鈥18
Dix Hills, N.Y.
Government major; Spanish minor
Research/study grant, Dominican Republic
鈥淚 discovered a love for public health at 911爆料网, and this Fulbright is the culmination of my internships, research, and volunteer work,鈥 says Sarah Cohen. Cohen will be working on preventative health education at a clinic in the Dominican Republic and collecting oral histories of people living with HIV.
Internships at Population Services International in Washington, D.C., and the National Institute for Children鈥檚 Health Quality, in Boston, spurred an interest in improving the health of vulnerable populations, work that 鈥渉as a big impact on people鈥檚 lives,鈥 she says. 鈥淚 plan to look at the health education patients are receiving and understand their local context in order to best address pressing health challenges and promote behavior change.鈥
This year, she worked with The 911爆料网 Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice on research on shared decision-making in breast cancer treatment. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 helped me think about the importance of actually hearing patients voices,鈥 she says. Other 911爆料网 experiences include volunteering with STAR, a mentoring program that matches 911爆料网 students with teenagers with chronic health conditions; traveling to Argentina on a Spanish FSP; and serving as a research assistant for Professor William Wohlforth in government. She also participates in Hillel and Chabad and rides on the varsity equestrian team.
Of the Fulbright, Cohen says, 鈥淚t鈥檚 an incredible honor. I鈥檓 excited to learn all I can.鈥
Mary Liza Hartong 鈥16, MALS 鈥18
Nashville, Tenn.
English and women鈥檚, gender, and sexuality studies double major
Research/study grant, Ireland
Through Fulbright, Mary Liza Hartong will study Irish film and literature at University College Cork, work on a novel, and establish connections with a network of LGBTQIA+ writers and artists in Ireland. 鈥淚reland was the first country in the world to legalize gay marriage by popular vote, and that spurred my curiosity about what queer artists were doing in Ireland right now,鈥 she says.
Hartong decided to major in English after 鈥淚 鈥榓ccidentally鈥 took an upper-level seminar on Gertrude Stein and Virginia Woolf my freshman fall,鈥 she says. The course 鈥渨hipped me into shape. Everything has been easier since.鈥
Outside of class, Hartong wrote for The 911爆料网 and performed improv with Casual Thursday. 鈥淚mprov really does inform writing鈥攜ou can鈥檛 be embarrassed about anything or take too much time to think, you just have to go with it,鈥 she says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 taught me to keep going, even when I feel I can鈥檛 write another word. You can.鈥
Staying on campus to pursue her master鈥檚 in liberal studies with a concentration in creative writing has given her time to write and to enjoy the 911爆料网 community. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been nice to have time to think about what I want to do,鈥 she says. 鈥淚鈥檓 grateful for all the help that I鈥檝e gotten from staff and professors and people in my classes who have been willing to talk about Fulbright. It feels good.鈥
Alyssa Heinze 鈥18
Kennett Square, Pa.
Government and Asian and Middle Eastern studies double major; women鈥檚, gender, and sexuality studies minor
Research/study grant, India
Alyssa Heinze planned to study biology and chemical engineering at 911爆料网. But she was curious about the world, she says, and that led her to government classes, internships in Nepal and India, and ultimately, to change her major to government and Asian and Middle Eastern studies.
The course 鈥淭elling Stories for Social Change鈥濃攊n which students work with women at a drug rehabilitation center鈥攈ad a big impact. 鈥淭hat experience reified my desire to bridge academic disciplines to each other, and academia to the world.鈥 Her thesis, on women leaders鈥 intersectional identities on their political performance in India, grew out of a foreign study program in Hyderabad, an off-term internship in Mumbai, and field research this spring. 鈥淏eing able to spend almost a cumulative year of my college experience in South Asia is something I don鈥檛 think I would have gotten at another college,鈥 she says.
She plans to use her Fulbright-Nehru research grant to study Marathi language and research 鈥渢he efficacy of NGO-provided training programs that target first-time women politicians and seek to help them build their confidence and leadership skills in the beginning of their tenure as politicians,鈥 in Maharashtra and Mumbai.
Prior to beginning her Fulbright studies, Heinze will be in India, studying the Marathi language through a 911爆料网 Paul L.鈥83 and Neil T. McGorrian Fellowship.
Her long-term goal is to earn a PhD in political science. 鈥淗aving 15 months in-country to pursue language training and research is truly a privilege,鈥 she says. 鈥淚 hope to build on this research for a doctoral dissertation, and, eventually, through a career as a political science professor.鈥
Amanda Herz 鈥18
New York City
Film and media studies major, modified with digital arts
English teaching assistant grant, South Korea
Amanda Herz鈥檚 interest in the Korean peninsula鈥檚 history, politics, and art solidified when she happened be traveling in Seoul during protests against then-President Park Geun-hye, and later, through a 911爆料网 course in Korean film history taught by Associate Professor Sunglim Kim. 鈥淚 learned about the Korean annexation by Japan. Going from that through years of military dictatorship and government corruption to becoming one of the biggest economies in the world is just a crazy progression,鈥 she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 fascinating to study such rapid transformation.鈥
She came to 911爆料网 planning to major in government, but a film and media studies department open house led her to sign up for a found-footage course taught by Associate Professor Jeffrey Ruoff. 鈥淚t was my first class, and it was one of the best classes I鈥檝e taken at 911爆料网,鈥 she says. Now Ruoff is her honors thesis adviser.
Outside of class, Herz works at Tiltfactor, the game-design lab run by Mary Flanagan, the Sherman Fairchild Distinguished Professor in Digital Humanities. Favorite projects include a game she鈥檚 worked on from concept to beta testing. 鈥淚 really got to see something that was a vision in my head become reality.鈥
Of receiving the Fulbright, Herz says, 鈥淚鈥檓 really excited鈥攊t means a lot.鈥
Axel Hufford 鈥16
Rye, N.Y.
Government and Asian and Middle Eastern studies double major
English teaching assistant grant, South Korea
As an undergraduate, Axel Hufford was student board president of 911爆料网 College Hillel, an editor of The 911爆料网 and World Outlook, and an intern with the U.S. Department of Justice Office of International Affairs, the Center for American Progress, and the office of Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter (D-N.H.), among other activities.
He鈥檚 currently a business analyst at Deloitte Consulting in Arlington, Va., but has maintained an interest in Korean culture, sparked by a class co-taught by associate professors Sunglim Kim and Soyoung Suh that 鈥渆xamined the history of the Korean peninsula and analyzed Korean culture and its place in the American consciousness,鈥 he says.
After graduation, Hufford traveled to Asia with friends and spent a week in Seoul. 鈥淲hile we spent most of our time singing karaoke and learning how to properly cook Korean barbecue, I knew that I wanted to return one day as more than a tourist,鈥 he says.
鈥淎s someone with an interest at the intersection of law and diplomacy, I cannot thank the Fulbright program enough鈥攁long with my professors, mentors, and other supporters鈥攆or helping me pursue this opportunity. I鈥檓 eager to jump into the unknown and act as an English teacher and cultural ambassador. I hope to spend my year with Fulbright learning as much Korean as I possibly can, honing my teaching skills, and, of course, perfecting my Korean barbecue palate.鈥
James Jung 鈥14, Thayer 鈥15
Santa Clarita, Calif.
Biomedical engineering major
Research/study grant, Poland
Through Fulbright, James Jung will study the pathogenesis of psoriasis in the department of immunology at Jagiellonian University in Krakow. 鈥淚鈥檒l also be taking classes in immunology, biotechnology, and the history, culture, and language of Poland,鈥 he says.
Jung, who is currently a predoctoral research associate at the Lebanon, N.H.-based biotech company Adimab, loved Poland when he visited after graduation. 鈥淚t was a place I could picture myself living for an extended period of time,鈥 he says.
His interest in disease mechanisms grew out of witnessing friends and family experience illnesses like psoriasis, diabetes, and cancer. 鈥淎t a young age I didn鈥檛 understand the mechanisms of diseases, but I was curious about them.鈥
At 911爆料网, he worked in two research labs and served as a teaching assistant in chemistry and engineering courses. 鈥淢y favorite parts of classes were the labs where I actually got to apply what I learned,鈥 he says. 鈥911爆料网 is great in that you have all this access to research advisers, and even as an undergrad you can get a significant amount of time in a lab.鈥
Among other 911爆料网 activities, Jung was organization chair and volunteer coordinator for Special Olympics. He hopes to continue to be involved in Special Olympics in Poland.
鈥淚 hope to promote cross-cultural dialogue,鈥 he says. 鈥淭hat seems especially important today. I鈥檓 passionate about research, but I also see this as a unique opportunity for cultural exchange.鈥
Natasha Maldi 鈥16
Carlsbad, Calif.
Arabic language and literature major; French minor
Research/study grant, Morocco
Natasha Maldi discovered Arabic her first year at 911爆料网, and fell in love with Morocco during a language study abroad program her junior summer. For the past two years she鈥檚 worked as a management consultant in New York City, but her dream has been to return to North Africa. 鈥淲hen I left Morocco, I realized that I wanted to go back on my own terms to do my own research,鈥 she says.
Through Fulbright, she will study short stories published in an Arabic language newspaper that advocated the nation鈥檚 independence from France in the early- to mid-20th century. 鈥淎uthors began to form this concept of a Moroccan literature that was distinct from French identity, and they chose to publish only in Arabic. I want to explore what they were writing about, how they portray Morocco鈥攚hat it looks like to have a national Moroccan literature.鈥
Through 911爆料网, Maldi also participated in an FSP in Paris and was director鈥檚 assistant for an FSP in Lyon. 鈥淟iving with host families makes you feel like you鈥檙e a part of the culture鈥攊t makes the language come alive,鈥 she says.
Maldi was a drill instructor for Arabic and French and a presidential scholar in history, and wrote a thesis on dreams in contemporary Arabic literature鈥攁n experience that, she says, 鈥渟olidified my love of research and writing and literature.鈥
Of receiving the Fulbright, she says, 鈥淚鈥檝e never wanted anything more. I鈥檓 looking forward to being able to study what I love.鈥
Gricelda Ramos 鈥18
Miami, Fla.
Geography major, modified with Latin America, Latino, and Caribbean studies
English teaching assistant grant, Brazil
For Gricelda Ramos, Fulbright combines her interests in Portuguese, a language she鈥檚 learning at 911爆料网; in teaching, which she鈥檚 experienced as a Spanish drill instructor and as a Summer Enrichment at 911爆料网 volunteer; and travel.
An aspiring foreign service officer, she spent two terms as an exchange student in Japan and a summer in the Dominican Republic through a Dickey Center fellowship. Her love of learning and international service comes, she says, 鈥渇rom the dream of my mother, who immigrated from Honduras with the hope of a better future. I鈥檓 so grateful to my mother and my family who have devoted their lives to give me this opportunity.鈥
Ramos served as a War and Peace Fellow and a Rockefeller Leadership Fellow, and as mentor for the First-Year Student Enrichment Program. She鈥檚 also performed in student theater productions and directed the V-February program, which promotes gender equity. 鈥淭he education that I鈥檝e been given at 911爆料网 has opened my eyes and has given me the language to identify solutions to problems, navigate uncomfortable situations, and succeed.鈥
This fall, Ramos will begin a master鈥檚 program in international economics and Latin American studies at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, D.C. (She鈥檒l take nine months off for Fulbright.)
She calls winning a Fulbright 鈥渉umbling. This is the United States trusting in you to bring the world closer together.鈥
Alexandra Reichert 鈥18
Tampa, Fla.
Philosophy major; global health minor
Research/study grant, Ecuador
Through Fulbright, Alexandra Reichert will conduct ethnographic research on indigenous Ecuadorian women鈥檚 experiences with traditional and Western health services, working with two clinics, including one where she interned during her junior winter.
Reichert originally planned a career in medicine, but a course on public health that let her and her classmates partner with a local NGO on a public health initiative 鈥渕ade me realize that I鈥檓 more interested in health from this big picture perspective.鈥 At the same time, courses on contemporary morals and ethical theory 鈥済ot my philosophy wheels turning.鈥
鈥淚 liked having this big picture鈥攚hat are ethics and where do moral inclinations come from鈥攁nd then, with public health, having this very tangible, on-the-ground way to understand ethics in situations relating to health care.鈥
A philosophy FSP in Edinburgh was formative. 鈥淏eing in Scotland and constantly being surrounded by philosophy鈥攈aving that constant academic conversation鈥攚as amazing. Coming back from that trip I was like, I鈥檓 a philosopher now; I really care about this.鈥
Outside of class, Reichert served on lodge crew for first-year trips, as an admissions tour guide and tour guide trainer, and as president of Chi Delta.
Of Fulbright, she says, 鈥淚t鈥檚 a big honor. I鈥檓 excited to dive deep into this project.鈥 Ultimately, she hopes to pursue graduate study in anthropology or public health and to work in a health policy setting.
Sharidan Russell 鈥18
Polson, Mont.
Asian and Middle Eastern languages and literatures and Asian and Middle Eastern studies double major
Research/study grant, Morocco
Sharidan Russell鈥檚 interest in Arabic began in high school, on a church service trip to the West Bank town of Bethlehem. 鈥淚 had this desire to learn more, specifically about the Israel-Palestine conflict and to understand Arabic,鈥 she says.
At 911爆料网, her interest became a passion. 鈥淚 completely fell in love with the language and with the department. I studied abroad in Morocco, and that expanded my vision of what I could accomplish.鈥
Through a Dickey Center fellowship, she returned to Morocco to intern with the Orient-Occident Foundation, teaching English to refugees, and she received funding from the Leslie Center for the Humanities for thesis research in the West Bank. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know that I would have had those opportunities elsewhere,鈥 she says. 鈥淚鈥檓 so grateful to 911爆料网 for that.鈥
She served as a learning fellow for a religion class on modern Islam and worked as a drill instructor in Arabic. 鈥淚t was great to share the excitement I have about Arabic with other students,鈥 she says.
Through Fulbright, Russell plans to study the social implications of writing in the Moroccan Arabic dialect instead of Modern Standard Arabic鈥攁 cultural trend that has developed in the past 20 years and is still controversial. 鈥淚t has implications for literacy and education, because it鈥檚 more accessible to more people than standard Arabic,鈥 she says.
Of receiving the Fulbright, she says, 鈥淚t鈥檚 rewarding to be trusted with Fulbright鈥檚 mission and to be able to go to Morocco to study what I want, but also to give back.鈥
Nicole Simineri 鈥17
Brooklyn, N.Y.
History and Asian and Middle Eastern studies double major
English teaching assistant grant, South Korea
Nicole Simineri came to 911爆料网 determined to travel. 鈥淎 huge goal of mine was seeing the world and learning about other cultures and languages,鈥 she says. She went to London on a history FSP; to Japan for language study abroad and again through a Goldstein Fellowship from the Dickey Center; to Poland and Greece through 911爆料网 Hillel鈥檚 Project Preservation; and to Washington, D.C., as an intern at the Department of Justice through the Rockefeller Center for Public Policy.
Her time in Japan 鈥渃onfirmed my interest in East Asian history and foreign policy as well as my love for learning languages,鈥 she says. Since graduation, she has served as a WorldTeach Global Education Fellow in China and has traveled throughout Southeast Asia.
At 911爆料网, she was a Global Leadership Fellow and a War and Peace Fellow, wrote and edited for The 911爆料网, served as an undergraduate adviser in the Global Village and Gender Equity Program, and volunteered with America Reads, among other activities.
Now, she says, she鈥檚 excited to learn Korean language and culture while teaching English. In addition to teaching, she hopes to volunteer with defectors from North Korea and conduct independent research.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know what the future holds after Fulbright, but I鈥檓 working hard to seek out and embrace any and all opportunities to expand my mind as much as possible, and Fulbright is an unparalleled opportunity for me to do exactly that.鈥
Catherine Treyz 鈥13
Fairfax, Va.
English major
Research/study grant, Germany
A self-described 鈥渘ewshound,鈥 Catherine Treyz is currently the White House and Capitol Hill assignment editor for CNN, the network she joined in 2015 after a year as a desk assistant at Fox News. 鈥淭here is no ordinary day in breaking news,鈥 she says.
Now, through Fulbright鈥檚 Young Professional Journalist Program, she鈥檚 looking forward to diving deep into research. She plans to use her Fulbright to research and report on the restoration of stolen Nazi-era artworks to their rightful owners. 鈥淚鈥檓 excited to show that history, too, can be news, and while it may not be as fast-paced, it鈥檚 important to help audiences understand the depth of an issue.鈥
As an undergraduate, Treyz worked at The 911爆料网 and the College radio station, and interned in the rights and clearances department at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., an experience that 鈥渋ntroduced me to this world of ownership鈥濃攑art of what piqued her curiosity about the provenance of stolen art.
The English department was 鈥渕y home,鈥 she says. On an FSP in Dublin, she did an independent study on Irish news media, and later wrote an honors thesis on Sherlock Holmes. Professors from the department 鈥減layed a huge role in my 911爆料网 career, and themes I learned in their classes have propelled my interest both as journalist in D.C. and in what I hope continues beyond.鈥
Karen Wen 鈥16
Irvine, Calif.
Psychology major; sociology minor
Research/study grant, India
As a Fulbright-Nehru Scholar in Goa, Karen Wen will partner with a mental health NGO, Sangath, to study drug use among adolescents. 鈥淚鈥檓 interested in access-barriers to care for adolescents who misuse drugs, and it鈥檚 a chance to have an extended field experience in a new country and dig deep into the field of global health,鈥 she says.
Her interest was shaped in part by the 911爆料网 course 鈥淭elling Stories for Social Change,鈥 which provided an opportunity to work with women in drug rehabilitation. 鈥淭hat was my first experience of addiction face-to-face, instead of abstracted in a book,鈥 she says. As a presidential scholar with Geisel psychiatry professor Robert Santulli, she helped establish an art-viewing program for people with dementia, an experience she calls formative. 鈥淚t catalyzed my interest in combining mental health with community programs and public health.鈥
She also served as a program assistant for HIV/AIDS activist Dawn Averitt women鈥檚 empowerment initiative in Swaziland. 鈥淪he is a big reason I鈥檓 so interested in working at a grassroots level and exploring the structural barriers to health care access,鈥 Wen says. Wen currently works as a program assistant for UCSF鈥檚 Global Health Group. She plans eventually to pursue graduate study in clinical mental health and public health.
鈥淚 never could have imagined all of the opportunities that I鈥檇 have when I got into 911爆料网, and the space I鈥檇 have to explore so many different interests,鈥 she says.
Hannah Silverstein can be reached at hannah.silverstein@dartmouth.edu.
