Another Year, Another Record: Students, Alumni Achieve Top National & International Scholarships, Fellowships

Thirty-three Baylor students and recent grads earn highly competitive Fulbright, Pickering, Goldwater, Boren and more

Contact: Shelby Cefaratti-Bertin, 254-327-8012 
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With the conclusion of the 2024-2025 academic year, Baylor University is celebrating another remarkable year of success for Baylor students and recent alumni, who have earned some of the most prestigious – and highly competitive – scholarships and fellowships at the national and international levels. Thirty-four students from across the disciplines have received awards for STEM research, public policy and diplomacy, critical language study and more. 

“If you want proof that a Baylor education is successful in its aims to educate for worldwide leadership and service, then look no further than these extraordinary students,” said Andrew P. Hogue, Ph.D., associate dean for engaged learning at Baylor. “More than simply a recognition, these awards represent for our students the opportunity of a lifetime – for study and research at the highest levels, for diplomacy and cultural exchange in communities around the world and for leadership experiences that will bring encounter with human need and opportunities to promote human flourishing."

Fulbright Scholars

Fulbright U.S. Student 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. Recognized nationally as a Fulbright Top Producer, Baylor has had more 130 Baylor students and alumni pursue international Fulbright opportunities since 2001, including 67 over the last four years.

Baylor’s record 23 Fulbright recipients for 2025 are:

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Shelby Barnes, senior Biochemistry and German major (College of Arts & Sciences) from Peoria, Arizona: English Teaching Assistant award to Germany

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Devon Bolton, B.A’ 24 (International Studies and Arabic, College of Arts & Sciences) from Prosper, Texas: English Teaching Assistant award to Morocco

Connor Cabot, senior English, Teaching and Spanish major (College of Arts & Sciences and School of Education) from Wake Forest, North Carolina: English Teaching Assistant award to Uruguay

Sarah Chan, senior Communication Sciences and Disorders major (Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences) and Baylor Interdisciplinary Core (Honors College) from Houston: English Teaching Assistant award to Laos

Maggie Cielesz, senior Political Science and Philosophy major (College of Arts & Sciences), Baylor Interdisciplinary Core and Honors Program (Honors College) from Rockford, Illinois: English Teaching Assistant award to Poland 

Annalise Cornett Fulbright

Annalise Cornett, senior Elementary Education major, Educational Psychology minor (School of Education) from Annandale, Virginia: English Teaching Assistant award to Spain

John Austin DeLozier, senior University Scholar and Honors Program (Honors College) from Orange County, California: English Teaching Assistant award to South Korea

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Eliana Galan, B.A. ’24 (Psychology, College of Arts & Sciences) from Buda, Texas: English Teaching Assistant award to the Czech Republic

Simone Henry, senior Neuroscience major (College of Arts & Sciences) Baylor Interdisciplinary Core and Honors Program (Honors College) from Katy, Texas: Taiwan Study/Research Award

Jake Hill, senior Anthropology and Religion major (College of Arts & Sciences) and Honors Program (Honors College) from Weatherford, Texas: Israel Study/Research Award

Mayra Honda-Shimabukuro, senior Public Health major (Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences) from Ewa Beach, Hawaii: English Teaching Assistant award to Timor-Leste

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Tori Jones, senior International Studies major (College of Arts & Sciences), Honors Program (Honors College) from San Antonio: English Teaching Assistant award to Taiwan

Haley McAveney, senior International Studies and Spanish major (College of Arts & Sciences), Baylor Interdisciplinary Core and Honors Program (Honors College) from Santa Ana, California: English Teaching Assistant award to Mexico 

Kristen Nakamura, senior University Scholar (English and Mathematics) and Honors Program (Honors College) from Richland, Washington: English Teaching Assistant award to Indonesia

Allie North, senior Science Research Fellow (Geophysics and Planetary Science, College of Arts & Sciences) from Waco, Texas: Germany Study/Research Award

Kathleen Quinn, senior Neuroscience major (College of Arts & Sciences), Baylor Interdisciplinary Core and Honors Program (Honors College) from Portsmouth, Rhode Island: Ireland RCSI PhD

Karly Shepherd, senior University Scholar, Baylor Interdisciplinary Core and Honors Program (Honors College) from Glendora, California: English Teaching Assistant award to Taiwan

Elizabeth Siatkowski, senior University Scholar (Spanish) and Honors Program (Honors College) from Oklahoma City: English Teaching Assistant award to Argentina

Sacha Sims, senior Biology major (College of Arts & Sciences) and Honors Program (Honors College) from Atlanta: UK Royal Veterinary College Award

Dayna Smith, senior University Scholar (German) and Honors Program (Honors College) from Rockwall, Texas: Austria Study/Research Award

Ava Watson, senior Biology major (College of Arts & Sciences) from Huntsville, Alabama: English Teaching Assistant award to Montenegro

Krista Wichterman, B.A. ’24 (University Scholar, English, Honors Program, Honors College) from Washington, D.C.: English Teaching Assistant award to Bulgaria

Isabelle Zgorzelski, B.A. ’23 (International Relations and Spanish), M.A. ‘ 25 (Spanish, College of Arts & Sciences), from Simi Valley, California: English Teaching Assistant award to Argentina

Goldwater Scholarships

The Goldwater Scholarship is the preeminent undergraduate scholarship given in the natural sciences, engineering and mathematics that encourages outstanding students to pursue research careers in STEM fields. This is the seventh consecutive year Baylor undergraduates have been named Goldwater Scholars.

Baylor’s record four Goldwater Scholarship recipients are:

Ava Frescura, a junior biology major from Houston, Texas: Ph.D. in toxicology and conduct research in the pharmaceutical field. Mentors: Maria Teresa Fernandez-Luna, Ph.D.Ramon Lavado, Ph.D., Michelle Gaylord. 

Kiera Griffin, a junior Science Research Fellow from Conroe, Texas: Ph.D. in genetics and genomics, analyzing the impacts of environmental toxicants on the regulation of the human genome. Mentors: Christie M. Sayes, Ph.D.Rizalia Klausmeyer, Ph.D., and Michelle Gonzalez

Aliyah Ogden, a junior Science Research Fellow from Algonquin, Illinois: Ph.D. in neuroscience with plans to conduct research, lead a university lab and teach at the university level. Mentors: Jacques Nguyen, Ph.D.Rizalia Klausmeyer, Ph.D., and Keith Murphy, Ph.D..

Nicholas Storti, a senior electrical and computer engineering major from East Norriton, Pennsylvania: Ph.D. in electrical engineering to conduct research in electric machines and power electronic motor drives to provide greener vehicles. Mentors: Emmanuel Agamloh, Ph.D.Annette von Jouanne, Ph.D., and Mark D. Does, Ph.D.

Pickering Fellowship, Rangel Fellowship

The Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Graduate Fellowship and the Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Program are the U.S. State Department’s flagship initiatives for recruiting top-tier talent for careers in the U.S. Foreign Service.

Baylor’s Pickering Fellowship recipient is:

Camille Watson, B.A. ’22, a University Scholar graduate in the Honors College with concentrations and additional majors in Russian and Professional Writing and Rhetoric, is Baylor’s sixth Pickering recipient. She will study for her master’s degree in Eurasian, Russian and Eastern European Studies at Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service, and she will receive her first embassy assignment after completing her degree. 

Baylor’s Rangel Fellowship recipient is:

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Isabella Zárate, a senior international studies and environmental studies double major in the Honors Program and Baylor Interdisciplinary Core from Katy, Texas, is Baylor’s third Rangel recipient. She will pursue a two-year master’s program in international affairs or an area of relevance to the Foreign Service at a university based in the U.S., while also receiving a stipend, a Foreign Service Officer mentor and internships on Capitol Hill and overseas at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate.

Boren Scholarship

An initiative of the National Security Education Program, the Boren Fellowship and Scholarship provides funding opportunities for U.S. undergraduate students to study less commonly taught languages in world regions critical to U.S. interests. 

Baylor’s 2025 Boren Fellowship and Scholarship recipients are:

Rebeca J. Blemur, a history doctoral student from Woburn, Massachusetts, who won the Boren Fellowship - African Flagship Language Initiative (or AFLI) to study French over the summer at the University of Florida followed  a year  in Senegal. Blemur is Baylor’s first-ever graduate student to win a Boren Fellowship.

Shannon Barton, a junior University Scholar, Honors College, from Georgetown, Texas, who won the Boren Scholarship to study Korean in South Korea with an emphasis on STEM studies in medical sciences.

Critical Language Scholarships

The U.S. Department of State sponsors the Critical Language Scholarship, part of a larger U.S. government effort to expand the number of Americans studying and mastering foreign languages that are critical to national security, economic prosperity and engagement with the world. 

Baylor’s 2025 Critical Language Scholarship recipients are:

Taylor Chung, a senior international studies major, College of Arts & Sciences, who will study Swahili in Arusha, Tanzania, at the MS-Training Center for Development Cooperation.

Mike Ermis, a senior history major, College of Arts & Sciences, from Montgomery, Texas, who will study Russian in Daugavpils, Latvia.

Fulbright UK Summer Institutes Award

One of the many awards under the Fulbright umbrella, the Fulbright UK Summer Institutes are three- to four-week programs for U.S. undergraduate students who have no or very little travel experience outside North America. Participants can explore the culture, heritage and history of the UK while experiencing higher education at a UK university.

Baylor’s 2025 recipient of the Fulbright UK Summer Institutes award is:

Nikolas Gillaspie, a sophomore double major in history and political science from Rutland, Massachusetts, who will spend the summer studying Scotland’s history at the Fulbright University of St Andrews Summer Institute.

ABOUT THE OFFICE OF ENGAGED LEARNING

The Office of Engaged Learning at Baylor University is a central hub of programs through which students discover opportunities to maximize their undergraduate education by learning beyond the classroom. OEL brings together mentoring opportunities for students across fields of study, empowering undergraduates to deepen learning by participating in faculty-led research, apply burgeoning academic expertise to work for the good of the community, broaden and diversify understanding through global involvement and gain valuable professional experience through internships, especially in research and public service. In addition, OEL provides opportunities for students to compete for major fellowships and awards, including the Fulbright, Truman, Rhodes, Marshall or Churchill that support post-graduate study, research or international engagement, and notable undergraduate awards such as the Goldwater, Boren, Critical Language Scholarship, Gilman and NSF-REU that fund student research and study.

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 acad