A record 16 University of Nebraska–Lincoln students have earned Fulbright awards for the 2018-19 academic year.
The university’s previous record was 11 awards, set in 2016.
The Fulbright Program, established in 1946 and funded by the U.S. Department of State, is designed to foster understanding between the United States and other countries. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program gives recent graduates, graduate students and young professionals the opportunity to conduct research, study or teach in one of 140-plus designated countries. Recipients are awarded the Fulbright on the basis of academic and professional achievement as well as their potential for leadership.
There are two types of the nationally competitive award: the research/study award, which supports students working on a project in a foreign country; and the English Teaching Assistantship, which places recent graduates in classrooms abroad to provide assistance to local English language teachers. The students are also cultural ambassadors for the United States.
Each of the 2018-19 Fulbright winners at Nebraska earned an English Teaching Assistantship. They are all set to graduate in May, except for Andrea Hartman, who graduated in 2017. Alexander Claussen and Mecca Slaughter are graduate students; all of the other current students are undergraduates.
Following is a list of the university’s Fulbright winners listed by hometown, with their academic major(s) and country where they will teach and study. Click on the links for individual stories.
NEBRASKA:
Elk Creek: Amzie Dunekacke, English, and classics and religious studies, Czech Republic.
Firth: Andrea Hartman, anthropology and English, Mongolia.
Lincoln: Tristan Hilderbrand, global studies, South Korea; Abigail Miller, political science, Russian and global studies, Russia; Eric Wilhelm, Spanish, Russia.
Nebraska City: Marcella Mercer, journalism, Malaysia.
Omaha: Alexander Claussen, graduate student in modern languages, Germany; Grace Evans, French, global studies and political science, Morocco; Brooke Hartman, biochemistry, Spain; Emma Himes, English, Spanish and global studies, Spain; Mecca Slaughter, graduate student in broadcasting, Macedonia.
Sutherland: Samantha Staggs, German and global studies, Germany.
ELSEWHERE:
Del Mar, California: Dylan Severino, classical languages, Germany.
Ankeny, Iowa: Azlin Armstrong, advertising and public relations, broadcasting and English, Bulgaria.
Pierre, South Dakota: Brianna Zimmerman, global studies, South Korea.
Watertown, South Dakota: Meghan Leadabrand, German and English, Germany.
