2020 Fulbright Alumni Ambassadors

Current City: Los Angeles, California  
Occidental College  
f.abarca.alumniambassador@fulbrightmail.org

During his Fulbright in the rural community of Santa Marta, Fernando conducted qualitative research and participant observation to develop a documentary highlighting the history of one of El Salvador's most successful Communal Land Ownership Cooperatives. With the support of and guidance from community leaders and community-based organizations, Fernando conducted a series of interviews with residents that explored the benefits and challenges of the Cooperatives’ alternative land ownership model. His work analyzed whether communal ownership of land in rural areas allows for the creation of sustainable economic outlets and decreases outward migration. In conjunction with his research, Fernando participated in a series of organic agriculture workshops with youth from Santa Marta and presented his research at different universities across El Salvador. Fernando’s ongoing research explores different ways economic and community development can support and prioritize the people and needs of a community, both in the U.S. or abroad. Currently, Fernando is working on a master's degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of California, Los Angeles, focusing on Design and Development and Community Economic Development and Housing. 

Current City: Columbia, South Carolina 
The University of South Carolina 
j.anderson.alumniambassador@fulbrightmail.org

James completed his master's degree in Political Studies at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario where he was a researcher at Canada’s Centre for International Defence and Policy. As part of his Fulbright project, James interacted with defense policymakers, academics, and practitioners to understand the history of Canada's relationship with the United States, and how the relationship might be affected due to  China's ascent. As a researcher, writer, and military officer, James traveled across the province of Ontario to present his research on Canada-U.S. relations. His work was featured in Global News Canada, National Post, MSN, the “Battle Rhythm Podcast” and the Queen’s Gazette. In serving as an Alumni Ambassador, James hopes to inspire veterans, people of color, and students from the southeastern United States to apply for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. James is now serving as an Intelligence Officer for the United States Air Force and as an External Fellow of Canadian-American relations at the Centre for International and Defence Policy. 

Current City: New York, New York  
The New School 
t.aparicio.alumniambassador@fulbrightmail.org

As a U.S. Fulbright Student researcher in Mexico City, Tania conducted qualitative research for her doctoral dissertation, which focuses on the decision-making process involved in film curatorship. Her doctoral thesis proposes that curatorship is a collective process influenced by the principles that organizations stand for and not based on individual taste, as other scholars have previously claimed. Working with the curatorial team at the Cineteca Nacional de Mexico, Tania conducted participant observation on how film curators make and justify programmatic decisions. Upon returning to the United States, Tania continued her research as a curatorial intern at the Museum of Modern Art’s film department. Currently, she is a Ph.D. candidate at The New School and will graduate in 2021.

Current City: Hyattsville, Maryland
Morgan State University
a.browngrier.alumniambassador@fulbrightmail.org

For her Fulbright project, Ashleigh developed and taught English lessons at a secondary school in rural Terengganu, Malaysia. During her time in country, she hosted weekly English workshops focused on building confidence, speaking skills, and creativity through writing and cross-cultural communication. In addition to her weekly class schedule, Ashleigh coordinated and hosted English camps. These camps provided students with an immersive learning experience that allowed them to engage in educational activities and build interpersonal skills with peers from across Malaysia. The highlight of her grant was working with students to create and publish a book of original poems and favorite recipes entitled Palatable Poems and Succulent Pe’s (recipes). After returning from Malaysia, Ashleigh worked as a special education teacher at a charter school in Washington, D.C. In 2019, she completed a master's degree in Higher Education from the University of Pennsylvania. Currently, Ashleigh serves as an intern at NAFSA: Association of International Educators and is a Ph.D. candidate at Howard University, where she is studying internationalization at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). 

Current City: Columbus, Ohio  
The Ohio State University 
j.capps.alumniambassador@fulbrightmail.org

In the historic Nuutajärvi Glass Village in Finland, Jonathan worked closely with a community of independent glass artists, to challenge the narrative that the longstanding tradition of Finnish glass blowing has become a dying art. His research aimed to develop effective strategies of inclusion and cultural exchange within the cooperative studio practice. While in country, Jonathan collaborated with 26 Finnish glass artists to create distinct works of art, which underscored the importance of solidarity in studio glass and the evolving role that internationalization plays in its posterity . Jonathan’s summer-long exhibition, “Why Not? Finnish-American Art Glass,” was the synthesis of his Fulbright experience. Jonathan enjoyed strong support while in Finland from his wife and two small children, who served as natural ambassadors within the rural village setting. Outside of his work in the studio, Jonathan served as a visiting artist and lecturer at Aalto University and Tavastia Vocational College. Currently, Jonathan works as a professional glass artist in Columbus, Ohio and is serving as a visiting artist at The Ohio State University.

Current City: Berkeley, California 
University of California at Davis 
o.coffman.alumniambassador@fulbrightmail.org

Olivia served as an English Teaching Assistant (ETA) in Matara, Sri Lanka. She taught English classes to grades 7 and 8 at Sujatha Vidyalaya, an all-girls secondary school, where she worked daily with 100 students. In addition to her duties teaching the school’s English curriculum, she focused on encouraging greater participation in class and conducting speaking activities. Outside of regular school hours, Olivia taught a Business English class, led a weekly conversation hour, and standalone workshops at the American Corner Matara, a U.S. Embassy-sponsored space that offers programs in English for community members aged 16-30. Her favorite moments in Sri Lanka were the conversations she had with students outside of the traditional classroom space, where she was able to learn more about them, their goals, and their interests. Olivia’s ETA experience confirmed her interest in the field of international education. She is currently an International Student Advisor and Designated School Official at the University of California, Berkeley Extension in Berkeley, California. 

Current City: Carlisle, Pennsylvania   
At-Large
a.delarosa.alumniambabsador@fulbrightmail.org

As a Fulbright U.S. Student Program graduate student in Milan, Italy, Abraham earned a master’s degree in Public Administration through the SDA Bocconi School of Management, where he studied how the public and private sectors can collaborate to tackle new challenges across the globe. As part of this program, he interned with Officine Innovazione-Deloitte Italy and Rise Products to conduct market research on the global flour industry and upcycling products. In addition to his coursework, Abraham worked on a capstone research project focused on social impact bonds for refugees in the E.U., which he presented at the European Investment Bank in Luxemburg. In his free time, Abraham hiked parts of the northern lake region in Italy and the Milan area. Currently, Abraham works as the Associate Director for Programs and Training at the Forum on Education Abroad. 

Current City: San Francisco, California 
Butler University 
n.huang.alumniambassador@fulbrightmail.org

As a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) at Macao Polytechnic Institute, Nick taught English and intercultural communication classes to undergraduates of all ages. His students hailed from Macau, China, Brazil, and Cabo Verde. Growing up biracial, Nick first became interested in Macau for its unique cross-cultural composition. Nick dedicated a significant portion of his time in country engaging with students outside the classroom by holding weekly English-language lunches, speaking and writing workshops, and by sharing American culture. The relationships Nick built with his students, fellow ETAs, and supporting professors were the cornerstone of his Fulbright. Nick now resides in San Francisco working as a product marketing manager for Google, and hopes to continue teaching college students as an adjunct professor. He is grateful to call Macau his second home. 

Current City: Boston, Massachusetts
Boston College 
i.hussain.alumniambassador@fulbrightmail.org

As a Fulbright Combined Research awardee in Austria, Isra split her time between a research project and a teaching assistantship. Isra’s research focused on understanding the integration of refugees into Vienna’s labor market over the past three decades. In affiliation with Vienna University, Isra completed a historical analysis of post-Bosnian War integration policies compared to current day refugee policies. In addition, she conducted interviews with policy makers, service providers, and other professionals implementing innovative strategies in the Viennese refugee employment space. As part of the teaching assistant component of her grant, Isra was placed in two low-income secondary schools in Vienna, where she taught lessons covering a range of sociocultural issues. She spent her free time taking ballroom dance classes, improving her German, running in road races, and taking classes at both the Sociology Institute and the School of Law at the University of Vienna. Having previously worked in the policy space at the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS), Isra is now building on her Fulbright research by better understanding the role of technology across public and private sectors as an Associate Consultant at Keystone Strategy. In addition, Isra recently co-founded the student diversity initiative ‘Fulbright Salam’ (@Salam.Fulbright) as a platform to showcase the diversity of Muslims in the Fulbright Program.

Current City: Providence, Rhode Island 
Brown University
o.joseph.alumniambassador@fulbrightmail.org

As a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) in Spain, Olugbenga taught English and History lessons at a secondary school in Alcalá de Henares, north east of Madrid. Olugbenga focused on cultivating the research and debate skills, cultural awareness, and English proficiency of his high school students through the Global Classrooms Program, an interdisciplinary initiative modeled after the United Nations. Outside of the classroom, Olugbenga sharpened his Spanish fluency through a community theatre course, and toured throughout Spain with Coro Gospel de Madrid, an international gospel choir.  A faith-filled, first-generation Nigerian American, Olugbenga spent most of his grant year furthering Fulbright’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. He co-facilitated a workshop on cultural sensitivity at Fulbright Berlin, and co-founded an advisory board centered on supporting diverse Fulbright grantees in Europe. Upon his return to Rhode Island, Olugbenga has worked as a higher education administrator at Brown University, and is currently earning his master’s degree in Higher Education at Harvard University.  

Current City: Charleston, South Carolina 
At-Large 
l.liles.alumniambassador@fulbrightmail.org

Lindsey, a native of Little Rock, Arkansas, served as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) in Porto Alegre, Brazil. At her host institution, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Lindsey worked with the Language Without Borders Program and co-taught English pronunciation and culture courses alongside Brazilian teachers. She led a workshop series on English grammar and North American culture and had the opportunity to teach a class on social issues in the United States at a local high school. Lindsey also worked with EducationUSA to support Brazilian students as they applied to universities in the United States. Outside of her teaching responsibilities, Lindsey integrated into and studied the Gaucho cowboy community in southern Brazil.  She joined a Gaucha women’s riding group, participated in traditional rides and meals, and rode in Porto Alegre’s annual parade celebrating Gaucho traditions. Her time documenting Gaucho culture through stories, photos, and videos influenced her to move into journalism. Lindsey is now working in an editorial position at Garden & Gun Magazine, based in Charleston, South Carolina.  

Current City: Austin, Texas 
American University 
m.lujan.alumniambassador@fulbrightmail.org

Maren's work focused on studying social and cultural structures impacting women's access to healthcare. While in country, Maren conducted ethnographic research in a rural town, as well as system analysis at the regional and national levels. She worked with a Sierra Leonean research assistant and collaborated with a non-governmental organization, FOCUS 1000, to employ participatory research techniques at the local level. She and her colleagues lived in the town for five months and then traveled through the local chiefdom to gain a broader perspective of the region. Maren’s project culminated with a play production developed and presented by women from the village to portray the barriers they faced in accessing healthcare. She and her fellow researchers held brainstorming sessions with regional stakeholders to discuss their findings and build solutions, which they presented to national stakeholders, including the Ministry of Health. Maren currently works for the City of Austin's Public Health Department, facilitating the Austin/Travis County Community Health Plan. 

Current City: Honolulu, Hawai’i 
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa 
a.mcguigan.alumniambassador@fulbrightmail.org

In Fiji, Ashley conducted dissertation research on how agroforest management practices are changing in response to new socioeconomic and environmental pressures, and the effects of this on dietary nutrition and the conservation of biodiversity. To do this, Ashley collaborated with the University of the South Pacific, government ministries, and local and international NGOs to examine how the strongest cyclone on record in the Southern Hemisphere influenced people’s agroforest management decisions, biodiversity, and diets post-impact across ten villages. Her work is important to understanding social and ecological resilience, combating the non-communicable disease epidemic in the South Pacific, and can help inform adaptive management strategies that enhance food security in the face of global change. In addition to her research, Ashley served on a team of U.S. and Fijian students who co- designed, distributed, and taught using a children’s book that encouraged intergenerational dialogue about place-based traditional knowledge in local schools, and raised funds to help these schools rebuild post-cyclone. Ashley is in the final stage of her Ph.D. at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, where she continues to collaborate with Fijian research assistants and the Government of Fiji to meet policy development needs. 

Current City: Scottsdale, Arizona
Boston University
h.meyer.alumniambassador@fulbrightmail.org

Harrison traveled to Abu Dhabi and Al-Ain in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to study environmental contamination in the Emirati agricultural sector. While in country, Harrison partnered with UAE’s Ministry of Climate Change and Environment to research chemistry, microbiology, and environmental engineering issues related to the cross-border date palms industry  in the UAE and Oman. Harrison also served as a Cultural Ambassador Intern with the U.S. Embassy and NYU Abu Dhabi, where he encouraged students from Emirati universities to apply to graduate school in the United States. In his free time, Harrison played on the university soccer team and had the opportunity to travel across the country, as well as in Kuwait and Oman. Harrison has worked as a consultant with the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, USAID, and the Jordan Green Building Council. Currently, Harrison is a Ph.D. candidate in Environmental Engineering at Arizona State University.  

Current City: Richmond, Virginia  
University of Virginia
j.nurse.alumniambassador@fulbrightmail.org

As a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) in South Africa, Jenné taught at Boetse Secondary School, a rural high school 40 minutes outside the capital of Limpopo Province. She provided classroom English Language instruction and worked one-on-one with students requiring additional instructional support. Additionally, Jenné coached the Junior and Senior debate teams to their first ever Semi-Finals. Outside of her teaching responsibilities, Jenné led fundraising initiatives, capitalized on community relationships and inter-organizational partnerships, and organized volunteers to support instruction at Boetse by building a new school library and an outdoor classroom and meeting space. Influenced by her work in South Africa, upon returning to the U.S., Jenné earned a post-master's certificate in School Administration and Supervision from the Johns Hopkins University School of Education. Jenné’s Fulbright experiences continue to inform her work as the Equity Coordinator at the Virginia Department of Education. 

Current City: Whitefish, Montana 
The University of Montana
J.sankargorton.alumniambassador@fulbrightmail.org

In Slovenia, Jedd conducted research on how the Slovene mountain identity is passed between generations. For 10 months, Jedd and his wife, who accompanied him on his grant, immersed themselves in Slovene mountain culture through research expeditions into the Slovene Alps with mountain experts, homestays with Slovenes, and a month spent hiking the Slovene Mountain Trail upon completion of the Fulbright term. This immersion, along with data analysis from a series of 20 interviews Jedd conducted with Slovene educators, revealed a remarkably deep connection between the Slovenes and their mountains. Further, this work allowed Jedd to describe the breadth of the modern-day mountain-oriented education system in Slovenia, as well as emerging educational trends resulting from increased attention on sustainable development. Upon returning to the United States, Jedd has been settling back into his community in Whitefish, Montana, and applying for jobs in conservation and education. He is also working with his collaborators to publish an article based on the findings from his work in Slovenia. 

Current City: Los Angeles, California 
University of Southern California 
g.somayajula.alumniambassador@fulbrightmail.org

During her Fulbright grant in Visakhapatnam, India, Geetha studied the practice, performance, and pedagogy of Indian classical music and the Telugu language. As a Creative and Performing Arts grantee, Geetha studied at B.V.K. College and the Vidyadhari School of Music. Outside of her coursework, Geetha performed in concerts and festivals in Visakhapatnam, traveled with her gurus to residencies and concerts all over India, and interviewed leading Indian musicians. Through a program sponsored by the U.S. Embassy, Geetha connected to the community by teaching choir classes to high school girls at St. Joseph’s College for Women. Geetha now lives in Los Angeles, where she works at PricewaterhouseCoopers as a management consultant. She is a dedicated arts administrator, singer, conductor, and teacher, and continues her musical journey by serving as a chorister at Westwood United Methodist Church, and as a board member for Synchromy Music a composer-directed collective that produces new music events in Los Angeles. 

Current City: Minneapolis, Minnesota 
At-Large 
k.thornton.alumniambassador@fulbrightmail.org

Katie is a public historian and podcaster. She spent her Fulbright year in England and Singapore conducting interviews and producing audio stories about the changing ways and places we remember the dead in our increasingly urbanized, digitally-connected, and multicultural world. She spoke with people from across society, from spiritual leaders to architects, sports fanatics to gravediggers. Throughout the year, she produced written and audio content for BBC, NPR, Atlas Obscura, 99% Invisible, and National Geographic. While abroad, Katie enjoyed volunteering at cemeteries, chatting for hours with the people she met there, travelling to the graves of some of her musical heroes, and, in her downtime, finding a few spots to skateboard. She was (and continues to be) blown away by the kindness and openness of strangers. Katie is currently a freelance audio producer with a focus on history, and her “Death in the Digital Age” podcast series will be released in the fall of 2020.

Current City: New York, New York  
University of Delaware
g.wilson.alumniambassador@fulbrightmail.org

As a Fulbrighter in Kenya, Gerti researched women judges and the “not more than two-thirds gender principle”  in the Kenyan Constitution, a rule that requires that no more than two-thirds of one gender may comprise all elected and appointed government positions. While based in Njoro, Gerti interviewed women judges, magistrates, and civic leaders to analyze the role of women's rights organizations in the constitutional reform movement.  During her time at Egerton University, she gave lectures on various topics, such as feminist theory, and presented her preliminary findings at the U.S. Embassy. In addition to her research, Gerti interned for Lawyers Without Borders (LWOB), in Nairobi. Through her work with LWOB, she assisted with trial advocacy, counter-terrorism training for new Kenyan prosecutors, and working to reduce wildlife trafficking. Gerti's interest in global law began in 2016 when she studied in South Africa, with support from the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program. Currently, Gerti is a J.D. candidate at New York University School of Law.