Baylor Students, Alumni Break Record for Fulbright U.S. Student Grants

Contact: Lori Fogleman, Baylor University Media and Public Relations, 254-709-5959
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WACO, Texas (April 24, 2024) – On the heels of recognition as a Fulbright Top Producing Institution, Baylor University’s soaring success for major fellowships and awards continues as a record 16 Baylor University students and recent alumni have been selected for Fulbright U.S. Student Grants. The grants from the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program allow Fulbright recipients to pursue graduate study, conduct research or teach English abroad.

In addition to the 16 Fulbright recipients, four Baylor students have been selected as alternates. In total, Baylor had a record 34 students named finalists this year for the Fulbright.

For two consecutive Fulbright cycles, Baylor has been recognized as one of the U.S. colleges and universities with the highest number of applicants selected for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, an honor highlighted each year in The Chronicle of Higher Education. During those cycles, Baylor celebrated a then-record 14 Fulbrights in 2022 and 12 in 2023.

“At Baylor, we promise to prepare our students for worldwide leadership and service, and I can think of no finer way to live that mission than through the Fulbright program,” said Andrew P. Hogue, Ph.D., associate dean for engaged learning at Baylor. “These 16 winners have achieved something remarkable, and they bear a momentous responsibility as cultural diplomats—stewards of the vital relationships between the U.S. and the countries that will host them. They are in for the experience of a lifetime, and this will no doubt accelerate their ambitions as leaders, scholars and public servants on the world stage.”

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program expands perspectives for students through academic and professional advancement and cross-cultural dialogue. In partnership with more than 140 countries worldwide, the Fulbright U.S. Student Program offers unparalleled opportunities in all academic disciplines to passionate and accomplished graduating college seniors, graduate students and young professionals from all backgrounds.

The highly competitive awards include the Fulbright Study/Research Award, a traditional award opportunity where a candidate designs a proposal for a specific country and the Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Award, which places grantees in schools overseas to supplement local English language instruction and to provide a native speaker presence in the classrooms.

Leading the Fulbright effort on the Baylor campus is the University’s Office of Engaged Learning (OEL),  which is dedicated to helping students and recent alumni discover and navigate the pathways to apply their learning to promote human flourishing, including through the Fulbright U.S. Student program. In addition, OEL has collaborated with the Center for Global Engagement to launch a dedicated Baylor Fulbright website for students, alumni and faculty considering Fulbright opportunities. 

Read more about each 2024 Baylor Fulbright recipient on the Office of Engaged Learning website.

Baylor’s 2024 Fulbright recipients are:

• Kaley Birchfield, senior communication sciences and disorders major from Sammamish, Washington, Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences: English Teaching Assistant award to Spain
• Annie Himler Cheng, doctoral candidate in history from Eagle, Idaho, College of Arts & Sciences: Study/Research award to Cambodia
• Coleman Crosby, B.S.Ed. ’20 (Spanish education), from Kansas City, Missouri, School of Education: English Teaching Assistant award to Spain
• Jennifer de la Fuente, B.A. ’21 (Latin American studies, minor in environmental science), from Mission, Texas, College of Arts & Sciences: English Teaching Assistant award to South Korea
• Madelene Do, senior health and science studies major and biochemistry minor from Murphy, Texas, Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences: English Teaching Assistant award to Vietnam
• Isabelle Ford, senior biochemistry major and minor in medical humanities, from Aurora, Colorado, College of Arts & Sciences: Study/Research award to The Netherlands
• Katrina Gallegos, M.A. ’23 (museum studies), from Albuquerque, New Mexico, College of Arts & Sciences: English Teaching Assistant to Portugal
• Jacelyn Jamison, senior elementary education major from Plano, Texas, School of Education: English Teaching Assistant award to South Korea
• Emmalyn Oscarson, B.A. ’23 (international/global studies) from Sanger, Texas, College of Arts & Sciences: English Teaching Assistant award to Romania
• Manasi Rungta, B.B.A. ’22 (Business Fellows and management), from Houston, Texas: English Teaching Assistant award to Laos
• Manav Rungta, B.B.A. ’22 (Business Fellows and management), from Houston, Texas: English Teaching Assistant award to Indonesia
• Genesis Santos, senior elementary education major from Waco, Texas, School of Education: English Teaching Assistant award to Mexico
• Josie Sawyer, senior political science and Slavic and East European studies from Augusta, Maine, College of Arts & Sciences: English Teaching Assistant award to the Slovak Republic
• Sophie Webster, B.A. ’23, (University Scholar with concentrations in political science and international studies), from Houston, Texas, Honors College: English Teaching Assistant award to Poland
• Emily Wicker, M.A. ’22 (Spanish with an emphasis in linguistics), lecturer in Spanish, from Norfolk, Nebraska, College of Arts & Sciences: English Teaching Assistant award to Colombia
• Emma Wrona, senior University Scholar with concentrations in international studies, political science and economics, from Fort Collins, Colorado, Honors College: English Teaching Assistant award to Taiwan

Fulbright alternates: 

• Emily O’Kief, senior University Scholar with concentrations in philosophy, history and French, from Seward, Nebraska: English Teaching Assistant award to Serbia
• Elijah Roberts, senior University Scholar, from Austin, Texas: English Teaching Assistant award to Germany
• Edric Salazar, master’s candidate in performance studies, from San Benito, Texas: Harriet Hale Woolley Study award in the arts in France
• Krista Wichterman, senior University Scholar and English major, from Oakton, Virginia: English Teaching Assistant award to Bulgaria

Fulbright finalists:

• Sam Anliker: Study award to the University of Leeds in the UK
• Adriana Báez: English Teaching Assistant award to Mexico
• Chana Dandridge: English Teaching Assistant award to Madagascar
• Aubrey Gilliam: English Teaching Assistant award to Turkey
• Sophie Kearney: Study award to the University of Bristol in the UK
• Ashlynn Main: English Teaching Assistant award to the Czech Republic
• Jordan Marr: Study award to the University of Strathclyde in the UK
• Hannah Payne: English Teaching Assistant award to Germany
• Caroline Pullella: Study award to Sciences Po in France
• Abigail Reed: English Teaching Assistant award to Malawi
• Mahita Shankar: Research award to Sri Lanka
• Shea Walk: Study award to University College London (Entrepreneurship Award) in the UK
• Lily Williams: English Teaching Assistant award to Spain
• Josiah Zeigler: Study award to the University of Tel Aviv in Israel

“We are thrilled to see yet another Baylor record fall. To have 34 finalists and 16 winners in a single year seemed unimaginable only a few years ago, and yet we are also convinced that the best is yet to come,” said Daniel Benyousky, Ph.D., director of Major Fellowships and Awards in Baylor’s Office of Engaged Learning. “A Baylor education is a global education. More and more, our students expect to make a global difference. This level of Fulbright success is evidence of a truly transformational education at Baylor, one that increasingly bridges the classroom to the needs of the broader world.”

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked Research 1 institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 20,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions..