Eleven students and recent graduates from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have been selected to receive the Fulbright U.S. Student Program award for the 2020-2021 academic year.
The UNC-Chapel Hill recipients are among more than 2,100 U.S. citizens who will study, conduct research or teach abroad for the 2020-2021 academic year through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. Recipients are selected by the U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board on the basis of academic and professional achievement, as well as their record of service and leadership potential in their respective fields.
Awardees address critical global challenges in all disciplines while building relationships, knowledge and leadership in support of the long-term interests of the United States. This year’s Fulbright recipients represent a diverse array of fields at Carolina, including English, history, environmental science and public health.
“The Fulbright U.S. Student program is a remarkable opportunity for our students to connect with peers and communities around the world,” said Barbara J. Stephenson, vice provost for global affairs and chief global officer. “I am so pleased to see Carolina students serving as both ambassadors of the university and the United States in this distinguished program.”
This flagship international educational exchange program is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and international communities, operating in more than 160 countries. It is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and administered nationally by the Institute of International Education and through the Center for Global Initiatives at UNC-Chapel Hill.
Despite COVID-19 related challenges for the 2020-2021 cycle, Fulbright is carrying out the 2021-2022 competition with no changes to the application process. Interested students can learn more online and contact Iyman Ahmed, program manager for the Center for Global Initiatives and Fulbright Program adviser for the university, for additional information. The campus deadline to apply is September 28, 2020.
The 2020-2021 Fulbright U.S. Student Program grant recipients who applied through UNC-Chapel Hill appear below in alphabetical order.
UNC-Chapel Hill Fulbright Awardees, 2020-2021
Emily Browning, a 2019 graduate, was awarded a grant to conduct a research project evaluating the use of microbial electrochemical wetlands (METlands) for small scale use waste in Alcalá de Henares, Spain. Browning earned a bachelor’s and master’s in environmental science.
Megan (Tara) Casebolt, a doctoral student in public health (maternal and child health), was awarded a grant to conduct research in India for her thesis, “My Choice My Right: Indian Women with Disabilities Access to Reproductive Health.”
Chloe Gruesbeck, a 2020 graduate, was awarded an English Teaching Assistantship in Germany. Gruesbeck earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and contemporary European studies.
Keely Hendricks, a 2020 graduate, was awarded an English Teaching Assistantship in Senegal. Hendricks earned a bachelor’s degree in English and French literature.
Ellison Henry, a doctoral student in public health (maternal and child health), was awarded a grant to conduct research in Tajikistan for her thesis, “Perspectives on Maternal Health Policies and Priority Programs in Khatlon Oblast, Tajikistan.”
Devon Johnson, a 2020 graduate, was awarded an English Teaching Assistantship in Colombia. Johnson earned a bachelor’s degree in public policy and sociology.
Mira Markham, a doctoral student in the Department of History, was awarded a grant to conduct research in Czech Republic for her thesis, “Power in the Village: Rural Politics in Moravian Wallachia, 1945-1953.”
Maiya Peterson, a 2020 graduate, was awarded an English Teaching Assistantship in Indonesia. Peterson earned a bachelor’s degree in environmental science.
Mark Reeves, a doctoral student in the Department of History, was awarded a grant to conduct research in India for his thesis, “Imagining India and the World: V.K. Krishna Menon and ‘Anticolonial Internationalism.’”
Victoria Shelus, a doctoral student in public health (behavioral health), was awarded a grant to conduct research in Uganda for her thesis, “Improving Malaria Case Management at Drug Shops in Rural Western Uganda.”
Nandan Thakkar, a medical student, was awarded a grant to conduct research in India for his thesis on “Exploring the Implicit Associations of Physicians in Gujarat, India.”