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St. Edward’s Named a Top Producer of Prestigious Fulbright Student Scholars
 Since 2004, 13 students from St. Edward’s University have embarked on
global adventures through the prestigious Fulbright fellowship. In 2011 alone,
four students won fellowships — earning the university recognition from the Chronicle
of Higher Education as #4 nationally among “top producers” of Fulbright students.
This year, 10 students at St. Edward’s are finalists for the award.
Cultivating International Friendships
Sponsored by the U.S. State Department, the Fulbright Program strives
to improve international relations by sending young Americans abroad
for cultural exchange.
There are two forms of Fulbright fellowships. One, an academic
research fellowship, primarily pertains to graduate students.
Undergraduate students at St. Edward’s most often apply for the second option, an English Teaching Assistantship — which takes them to foreign countries to teach English. Students spend about 20 hours a week teaching and 20
hours on an outreach project of their own design.
Learn more about fellowships available to
students »
Becoming a Candidate
Applying for the Fulbright requires preparation and hard work, but the St. Edward’s
University Office of Fellowships provides assistance along the way.
“Ideally, students should start shaping their undergraduate career as freshmen
so they can compete with the best and brightest around the country,” says Caroline Morris,
director of Fellowships at St. Edward’s. “Studying abroad helps, as do faculty recommendations,
but most importantly, students should really love what they do.”
“The application process was intense, but the results are well worth it,”
says Dustin Cooper Baltis ’10, a History major and current Fulbright winner teaching
in Mongolia. “I've discovered a version of myself I would never have imagined.”
The Fulbright committee screens students to be sure they can handle living in a foreign country.
The strongest candidates demonstrate cross-cultural understanding, community engagement,
international experience and fluency in another language — attributes that students are encouraged
to develop at St. Edward’s.
Opening a World of Possibilities
Winning a Fulbright makes a résumé stand out, along with other benefits. "Fulbrighters,"
as participants are called, join a tight alumni network of like-minded globetrotters who can
offer professional and personal support during and after their time abroad.
They also share an experience that will change them, and their worldview, forever.
 “Living in Turkey has given me a really incredible perspective on the world that
I could never have had from reading a book,” says Marianne Shea ’11, an English Writing and
Rhetoric major now completing a teaching assistantship in Turkey. “It’s a challenge. But I
can easily say that I have learned more as part of this program than I have in any other situation.”
Encourage your student to explore the opportunity of a Fulbright fellowship.
To learn more, contact the Office of Fellowships »
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