Sponsored by the State Department, the grant program offers recipients a chance to study, conduct research, and teach abroad
The University of Rochester has been named a top producer of US Fulbright Student Grant recipients for 2020–21. Nine students and two alumni were offered grants in the national competition that draws thousands of applicants each year.
This is the fifth time since 2014 that the University has attained this recognition.
The list appears in the Chronicle of Higher Education.
The Fulbright US Student Grant is sponsored by the State Department and offers opportunities for recent bachelor’s degree recipients, graduate-level students, and young professionals to pursue advanced studies, conduct research, and teach English language and American culture abroad. Nearly 600 US higher education institutions participate in the Fulbright program.
Persevering during COVID-19
As an international academic program, Fulbright has been affected by the global pandemic. Most grantees begin their projects abroad in summer or fall following the spring selection season; however, last spring the State Department deferred most 2020-21 grant start dates until winter 2021 or later.
Of the 11 students and alumni offered Fulbright awards last spring, at least five have been able to travel to their host countries and begin their projects. They include:
- Meghan Cerino ’20, who is teaching English in the Madrid area in Spain;
- Melissa Chang ’20, who is conducting exercise neuroscience research in Paderborn, Germany;
- Gregory Hernandez ’20, who is pursuing master’s degree research in acoustical engineering in the UK, at University of Southampton, England;
- Uday Singh ’20E, who is studying contemporary music with Swiss saxophonist and conductor Lars Miekusch at Zurich University of the Arts in Switzerland;
- Anna Weldy ’20, who recently arrived in Copenhagen, Denmark for her research and studies in drug delivery.
“I’m so immensely grateful that this is my life,” Weldy says. “I think to myself every day, ‘How did I get so lucky to get paid to do fun science experiments in such a beautiful place?”
Belinda Redden, director of the Fellowships Office, says it’s heartwarming to see the program move forward in the face of a global pandemic.
“With all the disruptions, uncertainties, and tragedies of the last year, it is heartening to see a slice of normalcy in the 2020 Fulbright winners whose lives and dreams are moving forward, albeit with adjustments not imagined when they began their Fulbright quests back in 2019,” Redden says. “Every time we receive an email from abroad expressing the kind of gratitude and passion that Anna Weldy displays, we are bolstered in our commitment to aid other Rochester students in achieving similar joy and intellectual satisfaction through Fulbright.”
Advising applicants
At Rochester, advising for the Fulbright student grant program is managed through the Fellowships Office on the River Campus for students and recent alumni from all units of the University. The Eastman School of Music provides additional support to its student and alumni applicants through an advisor and committee composed of its faculty members.
The application process is lengthy and begins when an individual college or university’s Fulbright evaluation committee nominates applicants from the institution. Nominated applications are considered by a national screening committee which further vets candidates, resulting in a group of semifinalists.
In 2020–21, 21 University students and alumni were named semifinalists.
The selection process for 2021–22 grants is well underway, with 17 candidates from the University reaching semifinalist status. Recipients will be chosen on a country-by-country basis over the next several months.
Information sessions are now being held for those interested in applying for a 2022–23 grant. See the Fellowships Office website for details of upcoming meetings and workshops.
