Six UMass Amherst Students, Alumni Awarded Fulbright Grants

Six University of Massachusetts Amherst students and alumni have been awarded Fulbright grants for 2019-2020, reports the university’s Office of National Scholarship Advisement (ONSA).

The new cohort of Fulbright scholars will be teaching English or conducting research in Iceland, Spain, Germany, Nepal, India and Mexico.

Recipients of Fulbright awards are selected on the basis of academic and professional achievement as well as a record of service and leadership potential in their respective fields. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is administered at UMass Amherst through ONSA.

UMass Amherst was named a 2018-19 “Top Producing Institution” of Fulbright student awards among research colleges and universities. The rankings from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs appear in the Chronicle of Higher Education. It was the fourth time in five years UMass made the rankings, tying with Dartmouth College and Duke University in the 15th position.

The 2019-20 recipients are:

Adam Zimmer, a Ph.D. candidate in anthropology, who will research the practice of cadaver acquisition for anatomical training in the early years of modern medical practice in Iceland.
Brook Hansel, a 2019 graduate of Commonwealth Honors College, with a B.A. in Spanish and history, who will teach English and develop a running program for girls in Spain.
Constance Roberts, a 2019 graduate of Commonwealth Honors College with a B.A. in German and Scandinavian studies and a B.A. in art history, who will teach English and volunteer with a community arts organization in Germany.
Jacole Douglas, a Ph.D. candidate in education policy, research and administration, who will study the implementation of early grade reading programs in Nepal.
Jiya Nair, a 2019 graduate of Commonwealth Honors College who majored in political science and operations and information management, who will study practices used by non-government organizations in implementing direct intervention in slum communities in Mumbai, India.
Leora Fridman, a graduate student in the M.F.A. for Poets and Writers program, who will be doing research for her non-fiction book, Preciosa, by examining the evolution of family and caretaking in the Jewish community in Mexico City, Mexico.

Since its inception in 1946, the Fulbright U.S. Student Program has provided funding for more than 380,000 participants. Chosen for their academic merit and leadership potential, Fulbright recipients are granted the opportunity to exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is the largest U.S. exchange program offering opportunities for students and young professionals to undertake international graduate study, advanced research, university teaching, and primary and secondary school teaching worldwide. The program currently awards approximately 2,000 grants annually in all fields of study, and operates in more than 140 countries worldwide.

The primary source of funding for the Fulbright Program is an annual appropriation by the United States Congress to the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations, and foundations in foreign countries and in the United States also provide direct and indirect support.

In the United States, the Institute of International Education supports the implementation of the Fulbright U.S. Student Program on behalf of the U.S. Department of State, including conducting an annual competition for the scholarships.