2024-2025 competition is closed. 2025-2026 competition will open on April 2, 2024

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Current U.S. Student

United States citizens who are currently enrolled in undergraduate or graduate degree programs are eligible to apply.If you are currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program at a U.S. college or university, you will apply through that institution, even if you are not currently a resident there. Find the Fulbright Program Adviser on your campus.

U.S. Citizen but not a Student

If you are a U.S. citizen, will hold a bachelor’s degree by the award start date, and do not have a Ph.D. degree, then you are eligible to apply. Non-enrolled applicants should have relatively limited professional experience in the fields (typically 7 years or less) in which they are applying. Candidates with more experience should consider applying for the Fulbright Scholar Program.

The Getting Started page will provide information on eligibility and next steps.

Artist

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program welcomes applications in the creative and performing arts. Arts candidates for the U.S. Student Program should have relatively limited professional experience in the fields (typically 7 years or less) in which they are applying. Artists with more experience should consider applying for the Fulbright Scholar Program.

Creative & Performing Arts projects fall under the Study/Research grant category and are available in all countries where Study/Research grants are offered.

FPA

U.S. Professor/Administrator

If you are a U.S. citizen and a professor or administrator at a U.S. institution and are interested in applying for a Fulbright Scholar Award, you will need to apply through fulbrightscholars.org.

To support your students in applying for a U.S. Student Program award, please connect with the Fulbright Program Adviser at your institution.

Non U.S. Citizens

If you are a non-U.S. citizen interested in applying for a Fulbright Award to the United States, you will need to apply through the Fulbright Commission or U.S. Embassy in your home country. Find out more information on the Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program or Fulbright Foreign Student Program.

2012 Fulbright Alumni Ambassadors


The Fulbright U.S. Student Alumni Ambassador Program was established in 2008 to identify, train and engage a select group of approximately 15 Fulbright U.S. Student Program alumni to serve as representatives, recruiters and spokespersons for the Fulbright Program. They are selected annually through recommendations from Fulbright Commissions and U.S. Embassy staff, area managers, the Fulbright Student Program Outreach Division and approved by the sponsor of the Fulbright Program, the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Fulbright Alumni Ambassadors come from an array of different ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds, states, fields of study, institutions and have participated in the Fulbright U.S. Student Program in all world areas.

Fulbright Alumni Ambassadors represent the program’s rich diversity and play a key role in increasing knowledge about Fulbright opportunities. They provide testimonials about their Fulbright experiences at conferences and campus presentations and offer application tips in written articles, video and podcast interviews, webinars and at special events throughout the United States. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program relies on the Fulbright Alumni Ambassadors to mentor potential applicants, sharing what a Fulbright grant is really like, along with how to address the challenges of living abroad successfully and how best to meet the Fulbright Program’s ultimate goal – to increase mutual understanding between the people of the U.S. and the people of other countries.

Sade Bonilla

Sade Bonilla

Current City: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Undergraduate Institution: Brown University
Fulbright English Teaching Assistant - Chile, 2009-2010
Email: SBonilla.AlumniAmbassador@fulbrightmail.org

In Chile, Sade served as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant at the Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso where she worked with students studying to become English teachers, translators and interpreters. Outside of her assistant teaching responsibilities, Sade collaborated with a local, all-girls, public middle school to start an afterschool English enrichment program. She also worked with a local non-profit organization providing extracurricular activities to low-income children. Currently, she lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico and is a Harvard Strategic Data Fellow for Albuquerque Public Schools.

Regina Cagle

Regina Cagle

Current City: Baltimore, Maryland
Undergraduate Institution: Drexel University
Fulbright U.S. Student in Energy – Ecuador, 2008-2009
Email: RCagle.AlumniAmbassador@fulbrightmail.org

In Ecuador, Regina Cagle conducted research on sustainable development and environmental management at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito, in affiliation with the Latin American Energy Organization (OLADE). While in Quito, Regina met with local infrastructure managers, facility engineers, city planners, farmers and other local actors, to witness the prioritization and management of unique Ecuadorian resources including the Galapagos Islands and Amazon Basin. Regina lived with a host family, worked with local environmental professionals and conducted research under the supervision of local professors. She is now an environmental engineer in Baltimore.

Maya deVries

Maya deVries

Current City: Berkeley, California
Undergraduate Institution: University of California, Davis
Fulbright U.S. Student in Biology – Panama, 2010-2011
Email: MdeVries.AlumniAmbassador@fulbrightmail.org

In Panama, Maya conducted her doctoral research on the food web ecology of coral reefs at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute's Galeta Marine Laboratory. She focused on a curious group of crustaceans called mantis shrimp. Maya found that mantis shrimp eat many different prey items and are important players in coral reef ecosystems. Additionally, Maya worked with Galeta Marine Laboratory staff to develop a beach clean-up and recycling program, and taught biology workshops in the neighboring community of Coco Solo through Cambio Creativo, a non-profit organization run by Fulbright alumni. Maya is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of California, Berkeley.

Kristen Erthum

Kristen Erthum

Current City: Washington, DC
Undergraduate Institution: Doane College
Fulbright English Teaching Assistant – Egypt, 2010-2011
Email: KErthum.AlumniAmbassador@fulbrightmail.org

In Ismailia, Egypt, Kristen taught Conversational and Remedial English, English Composition and English Grammar to second- through fourth-year students at the Faculties of Arts and Education at Suez Canal University. Kristen is a law student at George Mason University in Arlington, Virginia.

Linnette Franco

Linnette Franco

Current City: Atlanta, Georgia
Undergraduate Institution: Agnes Scott College
Fulbright English Teaching Assistant – Spain, 2009-2010
Email: LFranco.AlumniAmbassador@fulbrightmail.org

In Spain, Linnette Franco worked with students in the bilingual program at I.E.S. Villa De Vallecas in Madrid. She worked to prepare students for the Global Classrooms: Madrid Model U.N. Conference program in collaboration with the U.S. Embassy, Spanish Fulbright Commission, fellow Fulbright English Teaching Assistants and the Ministerio de Educacion in Madrid. She provided language enrichment lessons for fellow teachers, privately tutored children throughout the city and was a volunteer ESL conversation group leader for students from La Escuela Official de Idiomas (The Official School of Languages). Outside of the classroom, Linnette interned with La Asociacion de Amigos de La Musica, Los Museos y las Casas-Palacio (The Association of Friends of Music, Museums and Palatial Homes), a non-profit organization that promotes chamber music concerts in their original venues: palaces. Linnette is now an admission counselor for her alma mater, Agnes Scott College.

Dustin Gee

Dustin Gee

Current City: New York, NY
Undergraduate Institution: Juniata College
Fulbright English Teaching Assistant – Montenegro, 2010-2011
Email: DGee.AlumniAmbassador@fulbrightmail.org

In Montenegro, Dustin served as the country’s first Fulbright English Teaching Assistant and taught three courses in the Department of English Language and Literature at the University of Montenegro in Nikši. During his grant, Dustin also had an opportunity to work with the Office of Public Affairs at the U.S. Embassy and the American Corner in Podgorica to develop and administer education-based public diplomacy programs. One of these initiatives included teaching an intensive social change leadership seminar to undergraduate students designed to provide a framework for developing leadership capacity. Dustin is currently the Fulbright Program Adviser at Pace University.

Francesca Ioffreda

Francesca Ioffreda

Current City: San Francisco, California
Undergraduate Institution: Claremont McKenna College
Fulbright U.S. Student in Economic Development – Colombia, 2010-2011
Email: FIoffreda.AlumniAmbassador@fulbrightmail.org

In Colombia, Francesca conducted research on the country’s conditional cash transfer (CCT) poverty alleviation program, Familias en Acción. She worked closely with the social branch of the Colombian government to conduct site visits to vulnerable communities around Bogotá and interviewed program beneficiaries. Francesca produced a film documenting the program’s impact from the perspective of both the beneficiaries and government providers, and then completed an assessment of the CCT’s economic effectiveness with recommendations for program improvement. Francesca also attended the Economics/Political Science faculty at the Universidad de Los Andes and volunteered with an NGO that uses soccer as a vehicle to empower at-risk children. Francesca works for Deloitte Consulting in San Francisco.

Jessica Kuntz

Jessica Kuntz

Current City: New York, NY
Undergraduate Institution: Georgetown University
Fulbright U.S. Student in Political Science – Croatia, 2010-2011
Email: JKuntz.AlumniAmbassador@fulbrightmail.org

In Croatia, Jess researched Croatia’s political culture during its democratic transition, focusing specifically on the Yugoslav legacy. She volunteered at the Institute for the Development of Education where she advised local students interested in studying in the United States and co-coordinated the first ever conference for Croatian alumni of American exchange programs. She subsequently worked as an Account Executive at Edelman Public Relations and is now pursuing a Masters of Public and International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh.

Samson Lim

Samson Lim

Current City: Seattle, Washington
Undergraduate Institution: University of Washington
Fulbright U.S. Student in Education – Germany, 2010-2011
Email: SLim.AlumniAmbassasdor@fulbrightmail.org

In Germany, Sam carried out an ethnographic research project on how students, parents and teachers perceive access to higher education in Berlin as a means of social mobility. Beyond his research (under the guidance of faculty advisors at Humboldt Universität zu Berlin), Sam volunteered regularly as a guest speaker in the Meet U.S. Educational Outreach Program sponsored by the U.S. Embassy in Berlin. Currently, Sam serves as Founder and Executive Director of Scholarship Junkies, a scholarship resource program working to help students fund their higher education. Aside from also working in marketing for Intrepid Sportswear, Sam is a member of the Advisory Group of the Washington Scholarship Coalition, the Board of Advisors for BetterGrads and the Board of Directors for Graduate Washington PAC. Sam plans to pursue graduate studies in public affairs and domestic policy.

Eli Magana

Eli Magana

Current City: Memphis, Tennessee
Undergraduate Institution: San Diego State University
Fulbright U.S. Student in Political Science – South Korea, 2009-2010
Email: EMagana.AlumniAmbassador@fulbrightmail.org

In South Korea, Eli pursued research on the Korean Diaspora at Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea, and also received a Critical Language Enhancement Award to study Korean. While living in Seoul, Eli worked with Christian organizations serving Korean communities in Japan, northeastern China and Rajin, North Korea. His work on North Korea’s influence within the Korean community in Japan was published in the North Korean Review. Upon his return to the United States, Eli worked as a reporter for the Los Angeles bureau of Yomiuri News, Japan’s largest national newspaper.

Regina Mamou

Regina Mamou

Current City: Los Angeles, California
Undergraduate Institution: Rhode Island School of Design
Fulbright U.S. Student in Photography – Jordan, 2009-2010
Email: RMamou.AlumniAmbassador@fulbrightmail.org

In Jordan, Regina Mamou produced Mapping Collected Memory, a photography project that explores memory-based navigational methods as a metaphor for interpreting a contemporary city and received a Critical Language Enhancement Award to study Arabic at Qasid Institute. Through her research, she conducted informal guided tours, collected residents’ narratives of the city and examined urban planning issues. While in Amman, Regina worked with an artists’ community with support from Makan Art Space, Darat al Funun and the Royal Film Commission. She participated in public art exhibitions, artist lectures and provided visual art workshops. Her completed project, which includes a series of large-scale color prints, was recently added to the Midwest Photographers Project at the Museum of Contemporary Photography at Columbia College Chicago. Regina is now an adjunct lecturer in the Art Institute of Chicago’s Department of Museum Education and a study leader on international travel programs for museum members.

Antonio McAfee

Antonio McAfee

Current City: Baltimore, Maryland
Undergraduate Institution: Corcoran School of Art
Fulbright U.S. Student in Art – South Africa, 2009-2010
Email: AMcAfee.AlumniAmbassador@fulbrightmail.org

In South Africa, Antonio conducted arts and culture management research in a graduate program at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, where he was also a radio host at VOW 90.5 FM. The course covered leadership and policy, arts marketing and operational skills for non- and for-profit arts organizations. Currently, Antonio is a visual artist living and working in Baltimore, Maryland. He recently completed an internship with Washington Projects for the Arts (WPA) based in Washington, DC.

Fareed Mostoufi

Fareed Mostoufi

Current City: Washington, DC
Undergraduate Institution: New York University
Fulbright English Teaching Assistant – Argentina, 2009-2010
Email: FMostoufi.AlumniAmbassador@fulbrightmail.org

In Argentina, Fareed Mostoufi worked as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant focusing on English Literature and Grammar courses at the Instituto de Lola Mora, a local teachers’ college in Tucuman. Additionally, he investigated Tucuman’s rich history in devised political theater by taking classes, directing English-only acting ensembles, teaching playwriting workshops and acting with local theater artists. Fareed worked with the Ministry of Education in Tucuman to develop a series of English education workshops that used theater techniques to teach vocabulary which were presented throughout the province. For his final project, he directed a group of Argentine actors in an American musical theater cabaret. Fareed is now a teacher for fourth and fifth grade English Language Learners in DC Public Schools, and also works as a teaching artist for Arena Stage, a DC-based regional theater.

 

Zipporah Slaughter

Zipporah Slaughter

Current City: Atlanta, Georgia
Undergraduate Institution: Spelman College
Fulbright U.S. Student in Anthropology – Brazil, 2008-2009
Email: ZSlaughter.AlumniAmbassador@fulbrightmail.org

In Salvador da Bahia, Brazil, Zipporah Slaughter carried out ethnographic research on the structure, operations and effectiveness of community-based groups and grassroots organizations, including exploring issues of race, class, and gender dynamics. Zipporah also taught a course in English as a foreign language to adult students at her host institution. She holds a master’s degree in Latin American and Caribbean Studies from Florida International University. Currently, Zipporah is writing a memoir of her Fulbright

Kara Spiller

Kara Spiller

Current City: New York, NY
Undergraduate Institution: Drexel University
Fulbright U.S. Student in Engineering – Portugal, 2010-2011
Email: KSpiller.AlumniAmbassador@fulbrightmail.org

In Portugal, Kara designed tissue engineering scaffolds in the Biomaterials, Biodegradables, and Biomimetics (the 3Bs) Research Group at the University of Minho in Guimaraes. During this time, she also conducted less formal investigations into the logistics of international exchange for students in science and engineering. She is currently studying the design of immunomodulatory biomaterials, particularly for bone tissue engineering, at Columbia University. Her research interests include biomaterial design, cell-biomaterial interactions and international engineering education. Kara also serves as the head of Columbia University’s Women's Volleyball Club.

Sarah Staton

Sarah Staton

Current City: Washington, DC
Undergraduate Institution: William Jewell College
Fulbright U.S. Student in Chemistry – Ecuador, 2011-2012
Email: SStaton.AlumniAmbassador@fulbrightmail.org

In Ecuador, Sarah Staton conducted research exploring the role of airborne protein material in various environments as a potential indicator of environmental health in connection with the Universidad San Francisco de Quito. She collaborated with local communities to organize English language classes and a reforestation effort. After returning to the United States, Sarah completed her Ph.D. in chemistry at Arizona State University and is currently a National Research Council Post-doctoral Fellow at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory.

Chase Stoudenmire

Chase Stoudenmire

Current City: Fayetteville, Arkansas
Undergraduate Institution: University of South Carolina-Columbia
Fulbright English Teaching Assistant – Georgia, 2010-2011
Email: CStoudenmire.AlumniAmbassador@fulbrightmail.org

In Georgia, Chase assistant taught English language classes (alongside his former Georgian University of Arkansas professor’s colleagues) in two public schools and Akaki Tsereteli State University (ATSU) in Kutaisi, Georgia. Chase facilitated a competitive ’50 States Fair’ in which teams of students from local schools produced written reports, poster presentations and answered impromptu interview questions about their assigned state in a public setting. With a team of local artists, teachers and a cast of fifteen high-school students, Chase directed a full production of a play entitled Beauty is a Beast, believed to be the first English-language student production in any Georgian school. Chase also delivered lectures on U.S.-Georgian relations and English language teaching methodology through the Center for American Studies at ATSU. After completing his Fulbright grant, Chase earned a University of Cambridge certification in English Language Teaching to Adults. Chase is currently a graduate student in history studying American national identity and cultural diplomacy in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts & Sciences at the University of Arkansas.

Antonio Tahhan

Antonio Tahhan

Current City: Baltimore, Maryland
Undergraduate Institution: Cornell University
Fulbright U.S. Student in Anthropology – Syria, 2010-2011
Email: ATahhan.AlumniAmbassador@fulbrightmail.org

In Syria, Antonio Tahhan conducted an anthropological research project of the midday meal. Antonio was based in Aleppo, located in northern Syria, where he studied how lunch is prepared and consumed in three distinct contexts: home cooked meals, street foods, and restaurant meals. Throughout his grant, Antonio used social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter, along with his Mediterranean food blog, to share his Fulbright experiences online. By leveraging these digital channels, Antonio encouraged cross cultural dialogue and engaged with interested readers from around the globe. Antonio graduated from Cornell University in 2008 with degrees in math, economics, and Spanish Literature. He continues to publish stories on his food blog and remains active on various social media platforms.

Zane Thimmesch-Gill

Zane Thimmesch-Gill

Current City: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Undergraduate Institution: California Institute of the Arts
Fulbright U.S. Student in Filmmaking – Canada, 2008-2009
Email: ZThimmesch-Gill.AlumniAmbassador@fulbrightmail.org

In Canada's Arctic Circle, Zane Thimmesch-Gill investigated economic, health and infrastructure challenges in Inuit communities. He split his time between a small Inuit village in the Northwest Passage and the capital city of Yellowknife. He filmed from the season of "freeze up" to "break up," documenting life in the extreme North through the depths of winter. He currently works as an instructional designer and author. His first book, Hiding In Plain Sight, the nonfiction story of a homeless transsexual youth trying to escape the streets, will be released in September 2012.

Michael Trice

Michael Trice

Current City: Lubbock, Texas
Undergraduate Institution: University of Texas, Austin
Fulbright U.S. Student in Communications – United Kingdom, 2010-2011
Email: MTrice.AlumniAmbassador@fulbrightmail.org

Michael worked with the Knowle West Media Centre in Bristol, England, to study the use of online spaces for recording oral traditions. By examining participants engaged in the use of wiki technology, Michael observed usability and literacy issues as they related to writing, interface and social concerns. The research was facilitated through the Centre for Digital Citizenship at the University of Leeds. In Leeds, Michael also worked with local children in state care to create a photography exhibit at the Leeds City Museum.

Kelley Whitson

Kelley Whitson

Current City: Glenn Dale, Maryland
Undergraduate Institution: Spelman College
Fulbright English Teaching Assistant – Malaysia, 2010-2011
Email: KWhitson.AlumniAmbassador@fulbrightmail.org

In Malaysia, Kelley Whitson assistant taught English at a secondary school in Besut, Terengganu, Malaysia. She organized and participated in English Camps, community service projects and a number of district and statewide competitions. Kelley considers her Fulbright experience as the most memorable in her life thus far. She plans to further her education by pursuing a master’s in international development.

Michelle Williams

Michelle Williams

Current City: Birmingham, Alabama
Undergraduate Institution: Florida A&M University
Fulbright U.S. Student in Public Health – Ghana, 2010-2011
Email: MWilliams.AlumniAmbassador@fulbrightmail.org

In Ghana, Michelle conducted a qualitative study to identify barriers to cervical cancer screening among Ghanaian women. Michelle also investigated the health information needs of Ghanaian women and men. She is currently a student at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in public health pursuing a doctorate degree and graduate certificate in global health. In addition to her doctoral studies, Michelle also teaches a global studies course at the University of Alabama.