Davidson College Again a Top Producer of Fulbright Recipients
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With six U.S. Fulbright grant recipients, Davidson College lands among the top producers of Fulbright students and scholars nationally.
Original: May 31, 2019
Updated: Feb. 10, 2020
With six U.S. Fulbright grant recipients, Davidson College lands among the top producers of Fulbright students and scholars nationally.
New U.S. Department of State data confirms that Davidson College ranked among the top 20 bachelor’s degree-granting institutions in the nation for the number of Fulbright students and scholars for 2019-20, continuing the college’s legacy of producing scholars and teachers that lead and serve around the globe.
Davidson students and faculty have long been recognized as top candidates by the prestigious Fulbright U.S. Student Program of the United States Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
The U.S. award program was developed in 1946 by U.S. Sen. J. William Fulbright of Arkansas, who called for the use of surplus World War II property to fund the "promotion of international good will through the exchange of students in the fields of education, culture and science." It is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government. Since its inception in 1946, the Fulbright Program has given over 390,000 passionate and accomplished students, scholars, teachers, artists, and professionals of all backgrounds and fields the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas, and contribute to finding solutions to important international problems.
The 2019-20 Davidson student Fulbrights are currently studying and working in Taiwan, Uzbekistan, Colombia, Ghana and Morocco.Brown Professor of Political Science Shelley Rigger is spending a year in Taiwan, researching Taiwanese youth in Taiwan and in mainland China as a Cross-Strait Fulbright Scholar. Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students Byron McCrae participated in the U.S.-France International Education Administrators Program in October 2019.
Fulbright recipients for 2020-2021 will be announced later this spring.
Originally Published May 31, 2019
Davidson College continues to be well represented across the globe, with grants and fellowships sending a number of students to far-flung places to study and teach.
Five class of 2019 students accepted Fulbright U.S. Student Program grants to teach abroad.
The U.S. Student Program offers students and young adults opportunities to study internationally through advanced research and university, primary and secondary language teaching.
It’s the largest U.S. exchange program and awards about 2,000 grants each year for a wide range of studies in more than 140 countries worldwide.
Fulbright Recipients
Emilee Lord ’19, a History and Hispanic Studies major and Terry Scholar from Asheville, North Carolina, received an English Teaching Assistantship to teach English in Colombia.
Emma Wilbur ’19, a Political Science and Russian Studies major from Biltmore Lake, North Carolina, received an English Teaching Assistantship to teach English in Uzbekistan.
Alexa Cole ’19, an English major from Plymouth, Massachusetts, received an English Teaching Assistantship to teach English in Colombia.
Hannah Sommerlad ’19 an English major from Chicago, received an English Teaching Assistantship to teach English in Taiwan.
Three other recent Davidson graduates were selected but declined their Fulbright grants.
Jalin Jackson ’19, an Africana Studies and Latin American Studies major from Lawnside, New Jersey, was selected for an English Teaching Assistantship in Panama but instead accepted a teaching fellowship with the University of Pennsylvania Independent School Teaching Residency program.
AJ Naddaff ’19, who majored in Political Science and Arab Studies, was selected for a Research Fulbright in Jordan but instead accepted the Center for Arabic Study Abroad Fellowship in Cairo.
Isaac Mervis ’19, who double majored in Music and Interdisciplinary Studies (Education and Community Studies) was selected for an English Teaching Assistantship in Korea but will instead serve as Program Manager and Summer Site Director for Summerbridge Hong Kong.
Emma Slater ’19, an Arab Studies major from Charlotte, Vermont, was selected as an alternate for an English Teaching Assistantship in Algeria.
Gilman Scholarship
Anna Jones ’20 has won a Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship grant to study abroad in Ghana. Jones is a biology major from Decatur, Georgia.
The Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs awards the grants to ensure that students from diverse backgrounds have the opportunity to study and intern abroad in diverse locations. It aims to prepare them for global careers that contribute to the United States’ national security and economic prosperity.
Darlene Diaz ’22 also received a Gilman grant to study in Colombia but declined the offer.
Critical Language Scholarship
Anna Dolder ’20 has been awarded a Critical Language Scholarship.
The U.S. Department of State sponsors the scholarships to encourage Americans to study abroad and master foreign languages in areas that are critical to United States security and economic interests.
Dolder, an Arab Studies major, will study Arabic in Morocco.
Catherine Cartier ’20 and Dana Schrock ’19 were also offered CLS awards but declined to pursue other opportunities. Clara Hare-Grogg ’18 was selected as an alternate to study Arabic.