Posted on July 6, 2021 by Rebeca Gomez
Four recent UTSA graduates have been awarded grants by the Fulbright U.S. Student Program to travel to Germany, Spain and Belarus in 2022.
Collage of two students
Four recent UTSA graduates have been awarded grants by the Fulbright U.S. Student Program to travel to Germany, Spain and Belarus in 2022. This year’s UTSA awardees are Amber Chin, psychology and English; Arlae Gamez Luna, political science; Monica Guerrero, interdisciplinary studies with EC–12 special education certification; and Taylor Helmcamp, global affairs.
In addition to the awardees, seven of the eight UTSA students who applied were recommended into the second round of competition and three were named alternates: Affiong Akpaninyang, Mariam Kerfai and Montana Meeker.
The Fulbright Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and is the flagship program for international educational exchange. The program seeks to increase mutual cultural understanding of peoples by sending a diverse group of US citizens abroad each year. More than 2,000 students per year are funded to travel abroad to pursue graduate degrees, independent research, and teach English abroad.
Here’s more about UTSA’s 2021 Fulbright awardees:
Increasing number of Fulbright recipients for UTSA
More UTSA students have received Fulbright awards in the past two years than at any other time. This year’s results matched UTSA’s highest annual yield, when four students won awards in 2011. Despite the pandemic, which has disrupted international travel, almost the same number of UTSA students applied as last year. In 2020, UTSA had three awardees: Ana-Sofia Gonzalez (Colombia), Myat May (Malaysia) and David Diaz (Taiwan). While these students had their programs delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Fulbright has made arrangements for students to continue grants in 2022 or future years.
Andrew Chapman, director of the Office of Nationally Competitive Awards and UTSA Fulbright Program advisor, noted that UTSA’s continued success with Fulbright will come from a combination of campus support for the program to grow application numbers and support for the students through the process.
“Right now, we have about 10 students each year apply for Fulbright, but I’d like to see 50 apply,” Chapman said. “The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is a perfect match for our campus, providing students of all backgrounds access to international travel, even if they do not have extensive travel experience. The programming in research, study and teaching can help forward students’ future goals, no matter what their major, or what college they graduate from. The program has also been fantastic in bringing together students and faculty to research pressing global topics and become engaged with communities worldwide.”
When students complete a Fulbright application, they receive advice from faculty during a campus interview. This helps them craft a competitive application, which includes a personal statement and grant proposal. This year UTSA’s Fulbright interview committee was composed of faculty and staff throughout the university: Whitney Chappell, modern languages and literatures; Devon Donahue-Bergeler, modern languages and literatures; Seok Kang, communication; Kristen Lindahl, bilingual-bicultural studies; and Maren Mitchell, bilingual-bicultural studies; participated to interview students and provide feedback.
APPLY
While this year’s awardees have come from the College of Liberal and Fine Arts, the College of Health, Community, and Policy, and the College of Education and Human Development, students from all colleges are welcome to apply. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program encourages applicants to apply through their home institution’s endorsement. Undergraduate students in their junior and senior years, graduate and professional students, as well as alumni, should apply through the Office of Nationally Competitive Awards, which is housed in the UTSA Honors College. Students typically start applications in early summer in consultation with the UTSA Fulbright Program advisor and their faculty mentors.This article was originally published in UTSA Today. You can access the original article via this link
Students can reach out directly to the Office of Nationally Competitive Awards or follow ONCA on Instagram or Facebook, where the office regularly posts information on new scholarship opportunities, info sessions and workshops.
— Rebeca Gomez
