U-M Hails 26 Fulbright Finalists

The University of Michigan International Institute announces 19 students and seven alumni named as finalists for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program 2018-2019. The term “finalist” denotes that a grant offer has been made but does not indicate acceptance/decline status. The notification process is dynamic and still in progress; therefore, the number of finalists can fluctuate.

Twelve English Teaching Assistantships (ETA) were offered to students who will be serving as assistants in classrooms throughout East Asia, Europe and Eurasia, and Latin America.

Eleven Fulbright Study-Research Awards were made to students and recent graduates undertaking independent research projects throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, Europe, East Asia, and Latin America. Projects range from a biology lab study of functional amyloids to an exploration of the geothermal industry in Indonesia to an ethnographic study of reproductive healthcare professionals in Burkina Faso.

One student has been accepted to the Binational Internship Program in Mexico, which affords the opportunity to pursue an academic year-long internship with a Mexican for-profit company or NGO in Mexico City; an alumna received the prestigious John Wood LAMDA Award. Only one award is offered each year, allowing the grantee to pursue a yearlong Masters in Classical Acting at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) in the United Kingdom. One Creative and Performing Arts grant was awarded. 

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is administered on campus by the International Institute. “We are excited to once again see that such a high number of our students and alumni have been named as finalists,” says Beth Dutridge-Corp, Fulbright Program advisor. “In addition to the study-research and English Teaching Assistant awards, we have a binational internship and John Wood LAMDA awardee in the cohort—that’s a substantial variety of grants this year.”  

Dutridge-Corp encourages anyone interested in exploring all possibilities offered through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program to attend an information session or schedule an advising appointment.

The role of the Fulbright Program advisors at the International Institute is to provide applicants with the resources necessary to put forth a compelling and competitive application. “We hold information sessions and advising throughout the year, but we succeed because of the support from the International Institute and U-M faculty who participate in the campus process, which is a big part of what allows U-M applicants to excel in this competition,” explains Dutridge-Corp. The campus deadline for the 2019-2020 competition is August 31, 2018. For more information, please contact a U-M Fulbright advisor: iifellowships-fulbright@umich.edu.