The University of Wisconsin–Madison is pleased to announce that 18 students have been selected to receive grants through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program for the 2018–2019 academic year from the U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.
These UW–Madison students are among over 1,900 U.S. citizens who will study, conduct research, and teach abroad for the 2018–2019 academic year through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. Recipients of Fulbright awards are selected on the basis of academic and professional achievement as well as record of service and leadership potential in their respective fields.
“The University of Wisconsin–Madison is immensely proud of these students,” said Guido Podestá, vice provost and dean of UW–Madison’s International Division. “The Fulbright Program is an incredible platform for world research and intercultural exchange. I am pleased so many students from our university were selected for this honor.”
Fulbright finalist Emma Strenski, an international studies and history major, will be conducting research in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The award will give her the opportunity to continue research she began with her senior thesis titled, “The Brcko Arbitration: A New Way of Contextualizing Ethnicity in Bosnia and Herzegovina.”
This topic has special significance to Strenski as her grandfather was an attorney during the Brcko Arbitration. Strenski said the research is a way of continuing his legacy through historicizing a moment in which her grandfather played a part.
Strenski also said that learning more about the arbitration may hold very relevant lessons for Americans as they work with other nations and cultures.
“There is a real lack of knowledge about the Balkans in general in the United States,” Strenski said. “This is a unique American intervention in peacemaking and nation building. Up until 2018 it has been successful. Part of doing this project is to educate more Americans on a recent intervention and bring this solution into more conversations.”
Ten UW–Madison finalists (listed here with degree, major(s), and destination country) have been awarded Fulbright U.S. Student Program grants for study/research abroad:
- Stephanie Duchatellier (PhD), anthropology, Thailand
- Yasha Hoffman (BA), music composition, Russian language and civilization, Kazakhstan
- Kayla Huemer (BA), biomedical engineering, India
- Hannah Lider (BA), biomedical engineering, India
- Margarethe McDonald (PhD), communication sciences and disorders, South Korea
- Ian McQuistion (PhD), German literature, Germany
- Karma Palzom (PhD), history, India
- Marin Skidmore (PhD), agricultural and applied economics, Brazil
- Emma Strenski (BA), international studies and history, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Teresa Turco (BS), psychology and economics, Netherlands
Eight UW–Madison finalists (listed here with degree, major(s), and destination country) have been awarded Fulbright U.S. Student Program grants for English Teaching Assistantships:
- Clare Cimperman (BS/BA), biochemistry and Chinese, Taiwan
- Kelly Fisher (BA), history, Norway
- Ellen Opitz (BA), German and geography, Germany
- Diana Pavon (BA), political science and LACIS, Mexico
- Britta Pigorsch (BA), elementary education and political science, Netherlands
- Liza Pincsak (MA), teaching, Colombia
- Neda Sattler (MA), linguistics and Asian languages and culture, Germany
- Connor Touhey (BA), political science, journalism and mass communication, history, Malaysia
Students interested in applying for the program for the 2019–2020 academic year still have time. The campus deadline for the 2019–2020 Fulbright U.S. Student Program competition is Wednesday, September 12, 2018. The national (final) deadline is October 9, 2018. Students can learn more by attending a drop-in open house on May 8 or 10, or by making an appointment with Mark Lilleleht, UW-Madison’s Fulbright Program advisor, at awards@iris.wisc.edu or (608) 265-6070.
The Fulbright Scholar Program is supported at the University of Wisconsin–Madison through the Awards Office of the Institute for Regional and International Studies (IRIS). IRIS is a unit of UW–Madison’s International Division. Learn more about the U.S. Student Fulbright Program at UW–Madison.
About the Fulbright Program
Since its inception in 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided more than 380,000 participants—chosen for their academic merit and leadership potential — with the opportunity to exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns. Over 1,900 U.S. students, artists, and early career professionals in more than 100 different fields of study are offered Fulbright Program grants to study, teach English, and conduct research annually in over 140 countries throughout the world.
The primary source of funding for the Fulbright Program is an annual appropriation by the United States Congress to the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations, and foundations in foreign countries and in the United States also provide direct and indirect support.
In the United States, the Institute of International Education supports the implementation of the Fulbright U.S. Student Program on behalf of the U.S. Department of State, including conducting an annual competition for the scholarships.
For more information about the Fulbright Program, visit http://eca.state.gov/fulbright.