Twenty University of Notre Dame students — three graduate students and 17 undergraduates — have been selected as Fulbright U.S. Student Program finalists for the 2023-24 academic year, contingent upon host country approvals, medical clearance and submission of all required grant documents.

Another seven students — two graduate students and five undergraduates — have been selected as alternates for the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program.

In applying for the award, undergraduate students worked closely with the Flatley Center for Undergraduate Scholarly Engagement (CUSE) and graduate students with the Office of Grants and Fellowships in the Graduate School.

Jeff Thibert is the Paul and Maureen Stefanick director of CUSE.

“We are thrilled to have had another successful year with the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, one that should place on the Top Producing list of U.S. institutions for the 10th consecutive year. Clearly we are doing something right!” Thibert said. “Much of the credit should go to those who prepare our students to be competitive Fulbright applicants by providing them with a truly global education, including the teams in Notre Dame International, the Keough School of Global Affairs, the Center for the Study of Languages and Cultures, and all the other globally facing units at the University. Perhaps I’m biased, but in my view the most credit should go to the outstanding Fulbright advising team we have in CUSE: Elise Rudt-Moorthy and Mathilda Nassar, who work with our English teaching assistantship applicants, and Emily Hunt, who works with our study/research grant applicants. They put in long hours between March and October recruiting applicants, helping them to discern whether Fulbright is right for them and working with them to prepare the best possible applications.

"The University’s consistently outstanding performance with the Fulbright U.S. Student Program is a result of the excellent support that Notre Dame provides to our extraordinary students.”

Thomas Fuja, interim vice president, associate provost and dean of the Graduate School, said, “To win a Fulbright award is a badge of honor that is recognized and respected everywhere in the world. We should all be proud that Notre Dame students can successfully compete in such a prestigious program — and even more proud that they are motivated to take their talents and training and go be a force for good throughout the world.”

The 20 finalists are:

Undergraduate

• Isabella Allen, class of 2023, chemical engineering, study and research grant to Jamaica.

• Michael Barrett, class of 2023, political science and history, English teaching assistantship to Germany.

• Britton Brindle, class of 2023, political science, English teaching assistantship to Serbia.

• Rachel Colligan, class of 2023, Program of Liberal Studies, study and research grant to Italy.

• Abigail Craff, class of 2023, German and economics, English teaching assistantship to Germany.

• Allison Doctor, class of 2023, honors Spanish and global affairs (supplementary), English teaching assistantship to Spain.

• Grace Ducat, class of 2023, preprofessional studies, English teaching assistantship to Vietnam.

• Joshua Gilchrist, class of 2023, Program of Liberal Studies and theology (supplementary), English teaching assistantship to South Korea.

• Mary Kate Godfrey, class of 2023, political science and global affairs (supplementary), English teaching assistantship to Morocco.

• Mireille Ibrahim, class of 2023, honors Spanish, English teaching assistantship to Andorra.

• Mitchell Johnson, class of 2023, accountancy and honors English, English teaching assistantship to Montenegro.

• Alexis Kelly, class of 2023, honors art history and psychology, English teaching assistantship to Germany.

• Claire Kloska, class of 2023, psychology and Spanish, English teaching assistantship to Spain.

• Quinn McKenna, class of 2023, Program of Liberal Studies, English teaching assistantship to Panama.

• Sofia Nakfoor, class of 2023, psychology and economics, English teaching assistantship to Spain.

• Carlondrea Petty, class of 2023, preprofessional studies and Spanish (supplementary), English teaching assistantship to Spain.

• Julia Schlueter, class of 2023, science-business and honors Spanish, English teaching assistantship to Spain.

Graduate

• Eric Budd, master’s student in education (Alliance for Catholic Education), English teaching assistantship to Bulgaria.

• Ella Baxter, master’s student in education (Alliance for Catholic Education), English teaching assistantship to Spain.

• Jacob Moniz, master’s student in creative writing, study and research grant to Portugal.

Established in 1946 and administered by the U.S. Department of State, the Fulbright U.S. Student Program supports and enables passionate and accomplished graduate and undergraduate students to pursue graduate study, conduct research or teach English abroad.

The application window for the 2024-25 Fulbright U.S. Student Program is currently open. For more information or to apply, visit cuse.nd.edu (undergraduate/ACE) or graduateschool.nd.edu/graduate-training/research-communication/the-office-of-grants-and-fellowships (graduate).

Originally published by Erin Blasko at news.nd.edu on June 02, 2023.