Miranda is the sixth ������Ƶ student in five consecutive years to receive District 7690’s Rotary Club’s Global Grant. She follows Faith Leslie ‘21, Allison Potter ’22, Kiara Hunter ’23, and joint recipients Megan Curling ’23, Ava de Bruin ’23 and Nazaneen Shokri ’24. All recipients since 2022 have had at least one major in public health, a testament to the Department of Public Health’s ability to successfully prepare leaders who address the most pressing public health concerns of the 21st century.

This opportunity is not limited to public health majors, though, and all interested ������Ƶ students and alumni should contact the National and International Fellowships Office for more information about the application process.

From ������Ƶ to the CDC

At ������Ƶ, Miranda double majored in public health studies and international & global studies and minored in geography. She made the most of her undergraduate experience by engaging in research and service, and studying abroad in Tanzania. Outside of the classroom, she worked in the Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life and is proudest of her time as a Multifaith Intern.

The combination of these experiences prepared Miranda well for a post-graduate career with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where she served for five years. She first served as a COVID-19 epidemiologist in Kentucky before transitioning to a new role at the Vermont Department of Health, where she specialized in public health emergency preparedness and response. Miranda’s time with the CDC helped her clarify her passions and refine her professional philosophy: “equitable access to healthcare is essential for thriving communities.”

With this domestic training under her belt and her philosophy front of mind, Miranda was ready to go global.

An Intersection of Values

When the time came to think about furthering her education, Miranda grew confident in her decision to look beyond the United States.

“I knew I wanted to shift my career toward global health, but I also knew I did not want to do so without first understanding my own interests, values, and limits through hands-on experience,” she explained. “When I began thinking about graduate school, I realized that studying abroad would allow me to expand that perspective while learning how health systems operate in a different cultural and policy context.”

Miranda was drawn to Taiwan for its strong public health infrastructure and commitment to disease prevention. National Taiwan University’s MSc in Global Health program, with its emphasis on international perspectives, offered an unparalleled opportunity for her to deepen her academic and technical training.

To support her goal of attending NTU’s Global Health program, Miranda began working with the National and International Fellowships Office at ������Ƶ, which assists students and alumni in identifying and applying for externally funded scholarships and grants. She first applied for a study/research grant through the and was unfortunately unsuccessful, but undeterred. She continued conversations with Ann Cahill and Nicole Galante, director and assistant director of the ������Ƶ National and International Fellowships Office, and it quickly became clear that she was a perfect fit for another fellowship: The Rotary Global Grant.

Guided by their core areas of focus, Rotary is a highly values-based organization that seeks to support students who are just as passionate about solving the world’s problems as they are. The intersection between Miranda’s work and Rotary’s goals was evident to both Miranda and her advisors.

“I couldn’t think of a better fit. It’s almost as if Holly has spent her whole life preparing to be a Rotarian without actually knowing it,” said Galante.

It was no surprise, then, when Miranda applied for and ultimately received the $30,000 grant that enabled her to begin graduate studies in the fall of 2025.

Returning to the Classroom While Arriving in a New Country

Returning to the classroom after five years—in a new country, no less—presented its challenges for Miranda, but she quickly found her footing.

During her first semester, she took courses like Global Health Science, Introduction to Epidemiology, and Social and Behavioral Health, while also participating in field trips to the National Health Care Agency, the global think tank CAPRI, and the Taiwan International Workers Association. To get the most out of her experience in the country, Miranda also took advantage of the free Chinese language courses offered by NTU for international students. Her intensive winter course met for three hours a day, five days a week.

As she looks towards the remainder of her time in the program, Miranda is eager to begin her master’s thesis.

“I’m looking forward to conducting my thesis research, focusing on adolescent mental health. I am honored that Professor Shu-Sen Chang is my thesis advisor; he is a leading expert in mental health and suicide prevention in Taiwan and the region. It is a privilege to be part of his lab and to contribute to this area of public health, which I am deeply passionate about,” she said

Once she graduates, Miranda will be well prepared to re-enter the workforce, strengthening health systems, enhancing disease surveillance, and improving outbreak preparedness. In the long term, she aspires to lead outbreak response efforts with Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), combining the values and experience she’s gained from ������Ƶ to Taiwan, to no doubt make this world a better and healthier place. 

Fulbright grantees are not just funded to teach or research—they are expected to serve as valuable cultural ambassadors in their respective host countries, both representing the United States and learning about their new communities.

Fulbright grants are awarded on the basis of academic and professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields. As semifinalists, these ������Ƶ students and alumni have been recommended by the National Screening Committee of the Institute of International Education for final consideration by review panels in their respective host countries. Semifinalists will be notified of their final award status this spring, beginning in late March, barring any delays or disruptions at the federal level.

This year’s Fulbright semifinalists are:

Azul Bellot ’26

• Psychology and Sociolinguistics
• Semifinalist for a Fulbright English teaching assistantship to Spain

Jo Bogart ’26

• Creative Writing and Classical Studies
• Semifinalist for a Fulbright study/research grant to the United Kingdom

Anya Bratić ’26

• International & Global Studies and Public Policy
• Semifinalist for a Fulbright English teaching assistantship to Vietnam

Rony Dahdal ’26

• Computer Science, Math, and Philosophy
• Semifinalist for a Fulbright study/research grant to Sweden

Jubitza Figueroa ’21

• Political Science
• Semifinalist for a Fulbright English teaching assistantship to Spain

Alex Fleischmann ’26

• Psychology
• Semifinalist for a Fulbright English teaching assistantship to South Korea

Rebecca Lovasco ’26

• Psychology
• Semifinalist for a Fulbright study/research grant to Taiwan

Caroline Mitchell ’26

• Middle Grades Math and Special Education
• Semifinalist for a Fulbright English teaching assistantship to Bulgaria

Molly Moylan ’26

• Biochemistry
• Semifinalist for a Fulbright English teaching assistantship to Spain

Madison Powers ’25

• Journalism
• Semifinalist for a Fulbright English teaching assistantship to Spain

Aryanna Vindas ’25

• Dance Performance & Choreography
• Semifinalist for a Fulbright English teaching assistantship to South Korea

������Ƶ students and alumni interested in the Fulbright Program or other nationally competitive fellowships are invited to contact the National and International Fellowships Office. To begin the Fulbright application process, please visit the Fulbright Application Process page to register for one of the following virtual Fulbright information sessions during the spring semester:

• Wednesday, March 11 at 4 p.m.
• Thursday, April 9 at 4:30 p.m.
• Thursday, May 21 at 12 p.m.

������Ƶ has been repeatedly recognized for the number of its alumni who participate in the Fulbright Program as teachers and researchers and has been named a top-producer of Fulbright students in six separate years. This year, 50% of ������Ƶ’s 28 applicants were named semi-finalists in January.

The Fulbright Program has experienced unprecedented disruptions since January 2025. The review process, which is governed by extensive and detailed treaties between the US and host countries, requires an initial US review phase (during which semi-finalists are determined) followed by host-country review phase (during which the finalists are determined). This process ensured that host communities have the final say in which applicants are selected. This year, the host-country review phase was, according to multiple reports from host countries, followed by an additional round of scrutiny by the US State Department, and some host countries reported that upwards of 40% of their selected applicants were rejected. It is unclear if fewer grants were awarded overall as a result of this scrutiny.

A significant portion of the Fulbright U.S. Student Program staff were furloughed in March, which led to severe delays in fund dispersal and finalist announcements. This month, the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, the presidentially-appointed board of directors that oversees the Fulbright Program, but is not responsible for its day-to-day operations, overwhelmingly voted to resign in response to the Trump Administration’s interference in the 2025 review process. The future of congressional funding for Fulbright remains in question.

Those who received awards this year are:

Margo Buchanan ‘25

A double major in theatrical design & technology and political science with a minor in German studies, Margo Buchanan has been selected for a Fulbright grant to teach English in Germany. She is from Raleigh, North Carolina.

A Phi Beta Kappa graduate, Buchanan took every opportunity she could while at ������Ƶ to learn about Germany. She conducted two-years of independent research about opera scenic design in Germany as an ������Ƶ College Fellow, served as president of the German Club, and spent a semester studying abroad in Heidelberg, Germany. It was her semester abroad that inspired her to return to the region after graduation.

In addition to the Fulbright US Student Program in Germany, Buchanan was selected for the Teaching Assistantship Program of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education (BMB), administered by Fulbright Austria. She will spend this summer working as a stage crew lead for the Santa Fe Opera before heading to Austria to teach English, where she is eager to build on the teaching and mentoring experience she began in high school.

Buchanan’s ������Ƶ mentors include her German professors, Kristin Lange and Scott Windham, and Luis Silva, technical director for the Department of Performing Arts.

Rachel Maccini ‘25

Rachel Maccini, a double major in special education and middle grades mathematics with minors in psychology and German studies, has been selected for a Fulbright grant to teach English in Germany. The Phi Beta Kappa and Omicron Delta Kappa graduate is from Westford, Massachusetts.

At ������Ƶ, Maccini was a dedicated student educator who also served as the captain for the ������Ƶ Cheer Team. She blended her interests in teaching with German studies, serving as a teaching and learning assistant for a German language course and earning entry into Delta Phi Alpha, the National German Honor Society. Maccini’s desire to live in Germany after graduation was solidified during her Winter Term course in Germany, and the Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in Germany is what she describes as “the perfect fit.” After Fulbright, she plans to return to the US to work in education and hopes to utilize her experiences in German classrooms to support multilingual and neurodiverse students.

Maccini’s most influential ������Ƶ mentor is Kristin Lange, who initially encouraged her to apply for Fulbright.

“Dr. Kristin Lange has made a huge impact on me,” said Maccini. “Her love for the German language and her passion for teaching are truly contagious. Anyone who takes a class with her can feel it.”

Cristy Mariné ‘25

A double major in cinema & television arts (BFA) and strategic communications, Cristy Mariné has been selected for a Fulbright grant to pursue a master’s degree in creative industries at the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom. She is from Caracas, Venezuela and Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Mariné was a highly engaged ������Ƶ student who completed five internships—including one in Los Angeles with E! News, and another with a photography studio in Sorrento, Italy—and directed three short films. One in particular, “Corazones Dulces,” centered on a Latina who grieves the loss of her grandmother through baking, and was the only film in Spanish at 2024 Cinelon Film Festival. The master’s in creative industries at Exeter, which will allow her to blend creative and business courses while interning with a British creative agency, is the natural next step in Mariné’s goal of making short films that tell authentic stories about underrepresented groups.

Mariné’s constellation of mentors is wide, including Staci Saltz, Youseff Osman, Kai Swanson, Jessalyn Strauss, Sylvia Muñoz and MJ Larrazabal.

“All of my mentors at ������Ƶ have challenged me in ways that have helped me grow into the person I am today, she said. “For that, I am forever grateful.”

Celia Roskin ’20

Celia Roskin, an elementary education major (policy studies minor) from the class of 2020, has been selected for a Fulbright grant to teach English in Taiwan. She is from Durham, North Carolina.

At ������Ƶ, Roskin cultivated her passions for teaching, language learning and cross-cultural exchange. She spent a Winter Term in Malawi teaching English to primary school students and a summer in Cordoba, Argentina, taking Spanish language classes at the local university. She also completed the Peace Corps Prep Program and volunteered with the Village Project and the Boys and Girls Club. These experiences prepared her for her current role as an Educational Resources Specialist at the Library of Congress, where she creates, coordinates and facilitates professional development for educators by utilizing primary sources from the Library’s collections.

“I continue to feel a calling to classroom teaching,” she explained. “I’m ready to get out of my comfort zone and explore a new culture and different approaches to early education.”

A year as an English teaching assistant in Taiwan will allow Roskin to expand her teaching philosophy and pedagogy while exploring the Taiwanese approach to literacy education. She plans to return to the Library of Congress with new skills and resources to provide for US educators.

Roskin’s ������Ƶ mentors include education professors Erin Hone and Marna Winter.

������Ƶ students and alumni interested in the Fulbright program or other nationally competitive fellowships are invited to contact the National and International Fellowships Office.

Established in 1951, is the nation’s oldest continuous investment in the U.S. STEM workforce. The program provides financial support and professional development to outstanding students in NSF-supported STEM disciplines who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees at accredited U.S. institutions.

This year, the NSF GRFP received over 13,000 applications for 2,000 advertised awards. However, due to funding cuts, only 1,000 promising researchers were named recipients and over 3,000 were named honorable mentions—a marked shift from previous years when far more recipients were named than honorable mentions. Honorable mentions might still have the chance to be named recipients should more funding become available, and this story will be updated should any changes occur.

To learn more about the NSF GRFP and other nationally competitive awards like it, students and alumni should visit the National and International Fellowships Office’s website to schedule an appointment.

Chris D’Inzeo ’24

Chris D’Inzeo graduated from ������Ƶ in 2024 with a degree in chemistry. At ������Ƶ, D’Inzeo primarily worked with Vickie Moore, associate professor of chemistry, on a three-year project focused on evolving cell line models of chemoresistant cancers and understanding the roles of nucleic acid structures in the progression of chemotherapy resistance. Off campus, he was an Amgen Scholar at Duke University, where he worked in Amanda Hargrove’s lab on two different projects generally aimed at developing RNA as a target for therapeutic small molecules, and a student researcher at UNC Chapel Hill with Jeff Aubé and Ahlam Armaly on a project focused on the synthesis of a marine natural product with antimicrobial activity.

D’Inzeo was also a Periclean Scholar, a member of the marching band (drumline), and the co-founder of STEM Saturday, a STEM outreach program for Alamance-Burlington high schoolers.

D’Inzeo began his career with the National Cancer Institute after he received the highly competitive NIH Undergraduate Scholarship in his senior year, which provided a pathway for employment with the National Institutes of Health. He’s currently working with Jay Schneekloth with the NCI on projects aimed at developing bifunctional RNA targeting molecules as novel therapeutics. This will no doubt prepare him for his greatest academic challenge yet: a doctorate in chemistry at Princeton University.

D’Inzeo’s ������Ƶ mentors include Vickie Moore, Ahlam Armaly, Tony Rizzuo and Dan Wright.

Alana Evora ’23

Alana Evora graduated from ������Ƶ in 2023 with degrees in biology and computer science. An Honors Fellow, Evora won the Lumen Prize in 2021 to support her research project, “Simulating Vibrational Soundscapes to Investigate the Effect of Vibrational Road Noise on Animals.” Under the mentorship of ������Ƶ professor Jen Hamel, as well as in collaboration with Rex Cocroft (University of Missouri) and Shyam Madhusudhana (Curtin University), Evora created an open-source software tool called VibePy for studying vibrational communication, which is now freely available for download and shared in an open-access publication in the journal “Entomologica Experimentalis et Applicata.” In addition to her impressive undergraduate research, Evora is proud of her work as a Writing Center consultant, and as one of the chartering members of ������Ƶ’s first Asian interest sorority, Kappa Phi Lambda, Inc.

Since graduating, Evora has been working as a research technician at Duke University in the lab of Arnaldo Carreira-Rosario, where they use fruit flies to study how the brain becomes active for the first time during development, and how this early neural activity influences behavior. She is excited to stay at Duke in the fall to join the Neurobiology Graduate Training Program in the School of Medicine, studying developmental and systems neurobiology.

Her ������Ƶ mentors include Jen Hamel, Elizabeth von Briesen and Brant Touchette.

Aubrey Spicola ’25

Aubrey Spicola is a graduating senior with a major in astrophysics and a minor in mathematics. As an Honors Fellow, Spicola has been working with Tony Crider to develop a multiplayer mixed-reality planetarium intended to supplement introductory course materials in college astronomy with 3D visuals. She was also selected for a competitive NSF REU at Cornell University in 2024 where she worked with data from a recent release by the MeerKAT Telescope as part of the Thousand-Pulsar-Array program and focused on analyzing radio observations to study the timing properties of pulsars, and how these objects can be used to probe the interstellar medium.

In addition to her impressive research, Spicola is a senior residential assistant, an astronomy teaching assistant, and a tutor in the Koenigsberger Learning Center. She is particularly proud of her work as a planetarium specialist for nearly three years with the Schiele Museum of Natural History, where she wrote and created several seasonal shows, and helped lead an expedition for museum guests to Texas to view the solar eclipse in April 2024.

Spicola is eager to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill this fall to earn her doctorate in physics. She will be attending as a Royster Fellow, UNC’s premier doctoral fellowship, which will provide her the opportunity to explore different research labs as she begins her graduate studies.

Her ������Ƶ mentors include Tony Crider, Kyle Altmann, Chris Richardson, Emily Evans and Martin Kamela.

The award, given by , provides scholarships to college sophomores and juniors who intend to pursue research careers in the natural sciences, mathematics, and engineering. Scholars all demonstrate an early passion for research, often exhibited by completing multiple projects at the undergraduate level. To apply, all students must first receive university nomination—which can be a competitive process itself—and universities can only nominate up to four students per year, meaning that the competition at the national level is particularly stiff. This year, Goldwater received over 5,000 applications and named 441 scholars, Karty among them. Karty had his sights set on Goldwater before even beginning at ������Ƶ.

“My biggest motivation for applying to the Goldwater Scholarship was my dad, Professor Joel Karty,” he explained. “He is proud to have mentored Geoffrey Lynn, the first Goldwater recipient in ������Ƶ’s history, so it is really fulfilling for it to come full circle with me receiving the Goldwater Scholarship as well.”

Karty’s main research interest is robotics, specifically agricultural robotics, and he is no stranger to the research process. He began college-level research as a senior in high school when he had the chance to work with Jon Su, associate professor of engineering, on a project left unfinished by two students who’d graduated.

“I started working with Jacob when he was in high school, and even then he was one of the brightest students I’ve ever encountered: Jacob literally accomplished in a day what took a team of students a year,” said Su.

The pair kept this momentum going and evolved the project into an Honors Fellows thesis proposal called “Lensfree Holographic Imaging and Machine Learning to Protect Freshwater Resources” that ultimately won Karty the Lumen Prize. 

“Using a lensfree imaging setup that I designed and built, I take pictures of a sample of activated sludge from a wastewater treatment plant as I vary the amount of food this sample receives,” Karty explained. “Then, using machine learning techniques, I am currently thinking a convolutional autoencoder combined with K means clustering, I will predict the harmful foaming of the bacteria.”

His Lumen research is only the beginning. On campus, Karty has also worked extensively with Blake Hament, assistant professor of engineering, on a project utilizing 3D data collection to individually farm pea plants. Like Su, Hament sings Karty’s praises, commending him for his “wonderful blend of intellect, creativity, perseverance, and strong work ethic.” Off campus, Karty completed an NSF REU at Oregon State University where he built an apple picking robotic gripper and a data collection system that will allow the robot to use Learning from Demonstration to pick an apple like a human would.

All of this is only the beginning for Karty. Following his graduation in 2026, he plans to earn a doctorate in Robotics to continue his work researching and developing agriculture robotics to produce food more efficiently.

Karty is the ninth ������Ƶ student to be awarded the Goldwater Scholarship, following Rony Dahdal ’26,�� Danielle DaSilva ’24,��Madison George ’23,��Ashlyn Crain ’22,��Anna Altmann ’23,��Mariana Kneppers ’18,��Kelsey Van Dalfsen ’12�����Ի���Geoffrey Lynn ’07. ������Ƶ students interested in the Goldwater Scholarship or other nationally competitive fellowships are invited to contact the National and International Fellowships Office.

awards approximately 2,200 grants annually in all fields of study, with recent graduates and graduate students undertaking international graduate study, advanced research, university teaching and primary and secondary teaching worldwide. Founded in 1946, the Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.

Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected based on academic and professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields. As semifinalists, these ������Ƶ students and alumni have been recommended by the National Screening Committee of the Institute of International Education for final consideration for a Fulbright award. They will be notified of their final award status this spring beginning in late March.

This was another strong year for Fulbright applicants from ������Ƶ, with 50% being recommended as semifinalists. This number is even more impressive when you consider that ������Ƶ applicants have increasingly pursued study/research grants in recent years, which are the most competitive Fulbright grants to obtain. While the Fulbright U.S. Student Program’s average acceptance rate is 20%, the study/research grants ������Ƶ students applied for this year have an average acceptance rate of 6.9%.

This year’s Fulbright semifinalists are:

Margo Buchanan ’25

• Theatrical Design & Technology and Political Science
• Semifinalist for a Fulbright English teaching assistantship to Germany

Drew Fetterolf ’25

• Biochemistry and Religious Studies
• Semifinalist for a Fulbright study/research grant to Kenya

Ryan Gibbons ’25

• Environmental & Ecological Science and Cinema & Television Arts
• Semifinalist for a Fulbright study/research grant to the United Kingdom

Daniel Haley ’25

• Philosophy and Psychology
• Semifinalist for a Fulbright study/research grant to Ireland

Rachel Maccini ’25

• Special Education and Middle Grades Education
• Semifinalist for a Fulbright English teaching assistantship to Germany

Cristy Mariné ’25

• Cinema & Television Arts and Strategic Communications
• Semifinalist for a Fulbright study/research grant to the United Kingdom

Madison Powers ’25

• Journalism
• Semifinalist for a Fulbright English teaching assistantship to Spain

Claire Przybocki ’24

• International & Global Studies and Economics
• Semifinalist for a Fulbright English teaching assistantship to Poland

Bailey Reutinger ’25

• Statistics and Biology
• Semifinalist for a Fulbright study/research grant to the Netherlands

Sydnie Rogers ’22

• Philosophy
• Semifinalist for a Fulbright English teaching assistantship to Rwanda

Celia Roskin ’20

• Elementary Education
• Semifinalist for a Fulbright English teaching assistantship to Taiwan

Nicholas Rugbart ’25

• International & Global Studies
• Semifinalist for a Fulbright study/research grant to Taiwan

Morgan Seate ’25

• Philosophy
• Semifinalist for a Fulbright study/research Grant to the United Kingdom

Sadie Smith ’25

• Strategic Communications and International & Global Studies
• Semifinalist for a Fulbright English teaching assistantship to Bulgaria

������Ƶ students and alumni interested in the Fulbright Program or other nationally competitive fellowships are invited to contact the National and International Fellowships Office. To begin the Fulbright application process for grants in 2026-27, students should visit the Fulbright Application Process page to register for one of the following Fulbright information sessions during spring semester:

• Wednesday, March 5 at 4:00 (virtual)
• Thursday, April 10 at 4:30 (in person)
• Wednesday, May 21 at noon (virtual)

The program provides up to $20,000 per academic year in tuition, educational expenses and reasonable living expenses to scholarship recipients, and it can be renewed for up to four years. Scholars will spend ten weeks during the summer following each year of academic support working in an NIH research laboratory. After graduation, they will spend one year for every year of support as a full-time employee conducting research at NIH.

������Ƶ students have been remarkably successful in this competition in recent years. Last year, three seniors—Genesis Tolbert ’24, Christopher D’Inzeo ’24 and Samuel Ramirez ’24—were selected as scholarship program recipients.

As an ������Ƶ College Fellow with a double major in public health and political science, Samantha Hinton discovered a passion for health-related research with real-world applications during her time at ������Ƶ. She applied for and received the Lumen Prize in her sophomore year to fund her two-year project studying the impacts of immigration enforcement on Latinx healthcare utilization in Alamance County, which both inspired and prepared her to apply for the NIH Undergraduate Scholarship Program.

Molly Green, assistant professor of public health studies and Hinton’s research mentor, is confident that this experience will allow Hinton to continue the important work she began at ������Ƶ.

“Samantha is a truly exceptional student who has been a joy to work with,” said Green. “From the moment we started working together to plan her Lumen project proposal, Samantha has gone above and beyond to understand the material and ensure that her work would be both rigorous and meaningful to the community. Getting awarded the very prestigious NIH Undergraduate Scholarship is a wonderful opportunity for Samantha to further her public health training. I know she’ll gain invaluable experience working at NIH after she graduates from ������Ƶ and cannot wait to see where this opportunity continues to take her.”

In addition to her Lumen project, Hinton’s semester abroad helped prepare her to receive the NIH UGSP.

“My study abroad experience in Peru was a lifechanging experience,” said Hinton. “While there, I had a chance to conduct a secondary research project, investigating the use of traditional medicine and birthing practices in the Peruvian Amazon. This experience further solidified my interest in health research and gave me the opportunity to immerse myself in another culture!”

In the future, after her time with the NIH, Hinton plans to earn a doctorate in health behavior or medical anthropology with the hopes of becoming a professor.

The 2025 application for the NIH Undergraduate Scholarship Program is now open! Interested students should contact the National and International Fellowships Office for support with the application process soon, or to learn about other nationally competitive awards, as soon as possible.

Curling, de Bruin and Shokri are currently abroad in their respective graduate programs. Curling is in Germany, earning a master of public health (MPH) at The Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, and de Bruin and Shokri are both in the United Kingdom: the former at The London School of Economics, earning a master of science in health and international development, and the latter at University College London earning a master of science in Women’s Health.

While they each had unique journeys at ������Ƶ, these three graduates all have one thing in common: a degree in public health. Six ������Ƶ students have received Rotary Global Grants from the Piedmont District 7690 Rotary Club in the past four years, and five of them have had at least one major in public health. Kiara Hunter won the grant in 2023 to earn a master of science in population health from University College London, and Allison Potter won the grant in 2022 to earn an MSc in Health and International Development from the London School of Economics. The continued success of ������Ƶ’s public health majors in this competition is a testament to the department’s ability to successfully prepare leaders who address the most pressing public health concerns of the 21st century.

This opportunity is not limited to public health majors, though, and all interested ������Ƶ students and alumni should contact the National and International Fellowships Office by early January 2025 for more information about the application process.

Megan Curling ’23

Megan Curling graduated from ������Ƶ in 2023 with degrees in journalism and public health. Her ������Ƶ career was marked by both academic excellence and dedicated leadership at nearly every level. She was named a Lumen Scholar to research the cultural and environmental impacts of the Tungkum Gold Mine on the villagers of Na Nong Bong, Thailand; she held leadership roles in Student Government Association and LEAF (Lutherans, Episcopalians and Friends); she was selected to participate in ������Ƶ’s competitive Year of Service Program, where she worked with Cone Health and Alamance Regional Medical Center; and she was named a Youth Trustee and was appointed to serve a two-year term on ������Ƶ’s Board of Directors. Rotary is a natural extension of Curling’s consistent dedication to community, service, and cross-cultural engagement.

“My entire ������Ƶ experience laid the foundation for my success with the Rotary Global Grant,” Curling explained. “I applied for the grant because it perfectly supports my passion for public health and my commitment to global service. The opportunity to study internationally aligned with my belief in the power of cross-cultural collaboration to make impactful change in Rotary’s goals of promoting peace, fighting disease and improving the quality of life in communities worldwide.”

Curling’s selection for a Rotary Global Grant is no surprise to her former faculty. “Megan is brilliant, and she also brings genuine humility to her work,” said Stephanie Baker, associate professor of public health studies and chair of the Department of Public Health Studies at ������Ƶ.

Curling is confident that her time in the MPH program at The Hamburg University of Applied Sciences—particularly in a country ranked in the top 10 globally for public health, quality of life and education—will prepare her to work for an organization that cares about improving health outcomes with sustainable, community-involved solutions, particularly in underserved communities.

Ava de Bruin ’23

Ava de Bruin graduated from ������Ƶ in 2023 with degrees in economics and public health. To truly blend her academic interests, she completed two undergraduate research projects: one about HIV prevention in Malawi and another about domestic violence and its effects on women’s financial well-being. de Bruin studied abroad twice in New Zealand and Ghana (she had plans to spend a semester in Tanzania but was unable due to COVID-19) while also completing ������Ƶ’s Peace Corp Prep Program to further her interests in international service and sustainable, effective global partnerships. Her commitment to academic excellence even earned her membership into Phi Beta Kappa—all while she trained for four years as a Division I athlete on ������Ƶ’s Dance Team.

Just like Curling, de Bruin made a strong impression on her public health faculty. Cynthia Fair, professor of public health studies, taught de Bruin in a senior seminar and noted that her proposal for HIV prevention in Malawi was “one of the best proposals [she’d] seen over years of teaching senior seminar” and clearly illustrated de Bruin’s deep commitment to addressing health and economic disparities.

At The London School of Economics, de Bruin will be able to uniquely honor these interests in global health and economics. She is particularly eager to develop a deeper understanding of econometric analysis while extending the research she began at ������Ƶ that explores the impact of domestic violence survivorship on the financial well-being of women.

Just as she is eager to continue the trend of academic excellence she began at ������Ƶ, de Bruin is also “really excited to grow [her] community of peers, faculty, and friends.”

“I had such a wonderful community while at ������Ƶ, and I’ve grieved my time here coming to an end,” said de Bruin. “My ������Ƶ journey will always be part of my identity, and I am ready to plant roots in another robust academic community for this next stage in my life. Without my experience at ������Ƶ, I would have never had the tools or confidence to take this chance.”

Nazaneen Shokri ’24

Nazaneen Shokri graduated from ������Ƶ in 2024 with a degree in public health. Shokri’s undergraduate endeavors were characterized by her passion for transforming healthcare by addressing inequities and improving access for underserved communities. She applied for and won the Lumen Prize to support her two-year project, “Data Justice: MENA Women, Preterm Birth, and Discrimination,” which focused on discrimination faced by women from the MENA region during labor that can lead to preterm birth. She was also a member of the H.E.R. (Health Equity and Racism) Lab and an organizing member of Students for Peace and Justice at ������Ƶ. Rotary is a natural fit for Shokri, and for her, the grant is more than just a monetary scholarship.

“Rotary isn’t only a scholarship, but an opportunity to impact communities on a larger scale,” she said. “Backed by Rotary, I’ll have the tools I need to make true change and an impactful difference when it comes to the field of maternal and child health.” In addition to attending a graduate program, Rotary also requires that Shokri and all recipients of the grant maintain a blog about their experience and connect regularly with the local Rotary club in their host community.

Shokri’s undergraduate mentor, Assistant Professor of Public Health Students Yanica Faustin, noted that she “is such a determined scholar who is a fierce advocate for her community.” While Shokri’s ultimate goal is to attend medical school, she’s made the intentional choice to earn a master of science in women’s health from University College London first because she wants to be an obstetrician who truly serves her patients with an equity-minded, antiracist framework.

“This experience completely changed the trajectory of my life. I am a Latina, a child of immigrants, low-income, and first-generation college student,” Duque said. “While I hold these identities with pride, I recognize that they come with many societal disadvantages. I don’t think I would be successfully pursuing my bachelor’s degree without their guidance.”

The resources and community that Duque found in ������Ƶ Academy and at ������Ƶ inspired her to further pursue her education through the (PPIA-JSI). Although Duque learned about the program as a first year, the fellowship is only open to rising seniors, so she spent her time at ������Ƶ strengthening her resume as a Periclean Scholar and a scholar in the Odyssey Program. Duque is double majoring in political science and data analytics, which made her a perfect fit for the summer institute program.

Through the PPIA Junior Summer Institute, 149 scholars will participate in six weeks of free, rigorous summer programming at one of six campus partners to prepare students for advanced schooling and careers in public service and leadership in both domestic and global affairs. Fellows were selected based on merit and their previous, current, and stated dedication to public service.

Duque will be one of 30 students to call at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, home for the summer.

“I am looking forward to meeting peers and professionals in the growing interdisciplinary field of public policy and data analytics, as it merges my current majors,” she said. “I am also excited to live in and explore Pittsburgh, even if it is for seven weeks.”

is a nonprofit organization that has been supporting efforts to increase diversity in public leadership for 43 years. After the fellowship, if Duque is admitted to one of Heinz College’s full-time graduate programs, she will receive a full-tuition scholarship. During Duque’s final year as an undergraduate student, she plans to spend the fall semester studying abroad in Seville, Spain, and her spring semester participating in ������Ƶ’s Washington, D.C. program.

The largest exchange program in the country, awards approximately 2,200 grants annually in all fields of study. Recent graduates and graduate students undertake graduate study, advanced research, and English teaching worldwide. Founded in 1946, the Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and people of other countries.

������Ƶ has been repeatedly recognized for the number of its alumni who participate in the Fulbright Program as teachers and researchers and has been named a top-producer of Fulbright students in six separate years. This year, The National and International Fellowships Office supported the largest cohort of Fulbright applicants in ������Ƶ’s history: 34 applicants.

������Ƶ students and alumni interested in the Fulbright program or other nationally competitive fellowships are invited to contact the National and International Fellowships Office.

Those who received awards this year are:

Leah Schwarz ’24

A psychology and Spanish double major with a minor in Latin American studies, Leah Schwarz has been selected for a Fulbright grant to teach English in Spain. She is from Hudson, Ohio.

At ������Ƶ, Schwarz was an ������Ƶ College Fellow who spent two years researching Latinx student experiences in higher education. She also served as a student representative for the Latin American Studies Board, and as a Spanish tutor. She is a member of Sigma Iota Rho and Sigma Delta Pi honor societies.
“I applied to Spain because I studied abroad in Sevilla in Spring 2023 and instantly felt at home,” she said. “I loved the Spanish way of life, the relationships I made with locals and the emphasis on working to live, not living to work. I applied to Fulbright because, while abroad, I was a student English teacher at an elementary school and had so much fun working with the students. I loved the way the children were so excited to learn English and I was blown away with how much they knew.”

In the future, Schwarz plans to pursue a doctorate in psychology to become a clinical psychologist. Steve Braye and Leyla Savloff have been Schwarz’s most influential ������Ƶ mentors.

Nellie Garrison ’24

Nellie Garrison, an English Literature major with minors in Spanish and����dz����ܲԾ������پ��DzԲ�, has received a Fulbright grant to teach English in Spain. From Staunton, Virginia, Garrison was the director of diversity, equity and inclusion for her sorority, worked extensively with Campus Recreation and Wellness, and served as the co-president of Sigma Tau Delta, the national English Honor Society. She is also a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

Garrison became inspired to pursue an English Teaching Assistantship (ETA) after her semester abroad in Spain. “I applied for Fulbright because of my passion for cross-cultural education that I developed while studying and teaching in Sevilla. My interest in instructing English as a second language first grew after working with adults at Alamance Community College during a TESOL (Teaching English as a Second Language) course my junior year. I look forward to working in Madrid for the chance to work with a diverse community of learners,” she says.

Teaching English through the Fulbright program is the first step in Garrison’s journey to a career as a dual-language educator and potential lawyer. Regardless of what she does, her aim is to “create welcoming environments where people from diverse backgrounds can learn and grow together”—a mission that will no doubt be strengthened through her time as an English Teaching Assistant.

Garrison’s most influential ������Ƶ mentors include April Post, Jennifer Eidum and Dinidu Karunanayake.

Britt Mobley ‘24

A strategic communications and outdoor leadership and education double major, Britt Mobley has received a Fulbright grant to teach English in the Czech Republic. He is from Raleigh, North Carolina.

At ������Ƶ, Mobley was an Odyssey Scholar and a Communications Fellow, served as the Student Government Association Student Body President and worked as the course director on the ELOA Challenge Course. Fulbright is a natural extension of his deep involvement, and he was drawn to the program in part for its definition of holistic student success. “Honestly, I applied out of spite,” he says. “I applied to challenge my own fears and doubt about being good enough and having the most pristine academic record.”

Mobley’s strong, holistic undergraduate career has prepared him well to serve as an ETA at the Business, Hospitality and Vocational School Tabor in Tabor, Czech Republic. After his Fulbright year, he plans to attend the University of North Carolina-Charlotte to earn his doctorate in organizational sciences.

Mobley’s ������Ƶ mentors include Evan Small and Israel Balderas, who have acted as cheerleaders and advocates “for [his] academic record and what [he is] truly capable of as a student, even though [his] transcript doesn’t fully portray that.”

Trevor Molin ’23

Trevor Molin, a political science major and member of the Class of 2023, has received a Fulbright grant to pursue a master’s degree in philosophy from Memorial University of Newfoundland in Canada. Molin has spent the past year at the London School of Economics earning their first master’s degree in Gender Studies. During their time at ������Ƶ, Molin served on the Student Government Association, worked in the Gender and LGBTQIA+ Center as the inaugural Healthy Masculinities & Relationships student assistant, and coordinated and directed ������Ƶ Volunteers.

Molin was inspired to reapply for Fulbright after being named a semifinalist for a Fulbright grant to the United Kingdom last year. “In all honesty, after going through the process last round, part of my decision to apply this time was just from how useful the process itself was, especially as I was looking to apply to graduate programs anyway,” they explain. Embarking on the process a second time led Molin to Canada and Memorial University, where they are eager to engage with new scholars and explore the natural beauty of Newfoundland.

This degree from Memorial, paired with Molin’s first graduate degree from the London School of Economics, will no doubt pave the way for a promising academic career. “I hope to pursue a PhD in an interdisciplinary, theory-based program and hopefully go on to become a professor,” they say. “Who knows what will happen, but I know for certain I want to teach theory, we’ll see where that will take me though!”

Molin’s constellation of ������Ƶ mentors includes Jodean Schmiederer, Lauren Guilmette and Liza Taylor.

Eliana Olivier ’24

With majors in environmental and ecological sciences and Spanish and a minor in Latin American Studies, Eliana Olivier has received a Fulbright grant to teach English in Colombia. The Honors Fellow and is from Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Pursuing an ETA in Colombia is a natural extension of Olivier’s ������Ƶ involvement. Internationally, she spent a semester abroad in the Dominican Republic. Back on campus, she served as an environmental justice intern with the Office of Sustainability. “I applied to the program in Colombia because I was excited about the opportunity to engage with a new culture and because of my interest in the Spanish language and Latin America, specifically,” she explains. “I also applied because of all of the ecological diversity of Colombia, and I thought it would be a great place to further pursue my environmental interests.”

Olivier’s ������Ƶ mentors include Kelly Harer and Ricardo Mendoza. “I have had so many incredible professors and mentors who have helped me to succeed and grow in the past four years,” she says. In the future, she plans to attend graduate school.

In addition to these students, five seniors and alumnae have been named alternates for various Fulbright grants. Alternates are still in the competition and have the chance to be promoted to finalists (recipients of the grant) up until the official start of the grant period. We will update this story as we continue to hear news of their progress.

Those who were selected as alternates are:

Heeba Chergui ’22

An alumna from the Class of 2022, Heeba Chergui has been selected as an alternate for a Fulbright grant to teach English in Albania for the second time. Earlier this year, Chergui was selected as one of ������Ƶ’s first Rangel Graduate Fellows.

At ������Ƶ, Chergui majored in international and global studies, minored in leadership studies and was a Leadership Fellow. She dedicated her academic and experiential pursuits to the study of the Middle East and North Africa and received the Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship to study abroad in Amman, Jordan, where she interned with a peacebuilding nongovernment organization. These experiences were invaluable in helping her to receive , which will train and prepare her for a career in the Foreign Service through the State Department.

Her ������Ƶ mentors include Kevin Bourque, LD Russell, Sandy Marshall and Maritza Gulin.

Bethany Marzella ’24

Bethany Marzella, a member of the Class of 2024 with a major in international and global studies and six minors (peace and conflict studies, political science, interreligious studies, geography, Islamic studies, and Middle East studies) has been selected as an alternate for a Fulbright research grant to Oman. Marzella’s proposed project in Oman would be a continuation of her undergraduate research on sectarian conflict.

At ������Ƶ, Marzella was a Phi Beta Kappa Multifaith Scholar whose work focused on the Middle East. She spent a semester abroad in Amman, Jordan, which she cites as the most influential experience she had while an undergraduate. In the future, she is eager to attend graduate school abroad in a field related to politics and international studies.

Marzella’s constellation of ������Ƶ mentors includes Sandy Marshall, Tom Kerr, Summeye Pakdil, Amy Allocco and Allegra Laing.

Sarah Mirrow ’24

An economics and applied mathematics double major and a French minor from the Class of 2024, Sarah Mirrow has been selected as an alternate for a Fulbright grant to pursue a master’s degree in economics from University College Dublin in Ireland. She is from Arlington, Virginia.

At ������Ƶ, Mirrow was an Honors Fellow and Lumen Scholar who pursued two years of rigorous research about how access to abortion clinics impacts female educational attainment. She chose to pursue a Fulbright grant in Ireland specifically because the country has experienced abortion legislation upheaval in the past 10 years that presents a unique research opportunity.

Mirrow’s ultimate goal is to pursue a doctorate in economics. Her most influential ������Ƶ mentors include Steve Bednar and Karen Yokley.

Claire D. Przybocki ’24

Claire D. Przybocki, a member of the Class of 2024, has been selected as an alternate for a Fulbright grant to teach English in Poland. At ������Ƶ, Przybocki was a double major in international and global studies and economics with minors in Islamic studies, interreligious studies, and leadership studies. She was also a Leadership Fellow, a Multifaith Scholar, a Maryland Public Service Scholar, and served as the vice president of ������Ƶ’s Arabic Language Organization.

Pryzbocki’s time as a Multifaith Scholar, where she spent two years researching refugee resettlement in Poland, plus her experience working with international nongovernment organizations, motivated her to apply for this grant to teach English in Poland. In the future, she plans to attend graduate school to prepare her for a career in migrant resettlement. Her constellation of ������Ƶ mentors includes Brian Pennington, Amy Allocco and Sandy Marshall.