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Eighteen Duke Students And Alumni Awarded Fulbright Scholarships

Recipients to teach English, study and do research abroad during the 2020-2021 academic year

Part of the Spring 2020 Awards and Honors Series
West Campus in spring

DURHAM, N.C. -- Eighteen Duke students and alumni have been awarded Fulbright placements to teach English, study and do research abroad during the 2020-2021 academic year.

The Fulbright US Student Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program, offering opportunities in over 140 countries. The Fulbright award is designed to facilitate cultural exchange and increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and those of other countries.

The awards are announced on a rolling basis, determined by the host country. This list is current as of May 1.

The Fulbright Scholarship application process is open to Duke seniors, alumni and graduate and professional students.

Here is the list of 2019-2020 Fulbright Award winners from Duke, their major and year of graduation, host country and project:   

  • Jasmine Alexander-Greene from Mebane, North Carolina, Russian-2020, Russia, English Teaching Assistant
  • James Budinich from Northport, New York, Music Composition Ph.D. candidate-2022, Denmark, Engaging Simplicity: Composing After the Danish New Simplicity Movement
  • Elise Cai from Plano, Texas, biology-2020, Taiwan, English Teaching Assistant
  • Natasha Derezinski-Choo from Greensboro, North Carolina, Linguistics and Neuroscience-2019, Cameroon, Many Medicines and Many Languages: The Sociolinguistic Underpinnings of Medical Pluralism
  • Nathan Drapela from Ridgefield, Washington, German Studies Ph.D. candidate-2023, Switzerland, Narrative and the Development of Modern Selfhood, 1800-1910
  • Maram Elnagheeb from Concord, North Carolina, public policy and sociology-2020, Jordan, English Teaching Assistant
  • Allison Geary from Omaha, Nebraska, Computer Science and Middle Eastern Studies -2020, Bahrain, English teaching assistant
  • Lea Greenberg from Lawrence, Kansas, German Studies Ph.D. Candidate-2021, Germany, Language, Literacy, and Jewish Female Desire in German and Yiddish Literature
  • Tiarra Hughes from New York City, New York, International Comparative Studies-Latin America and Caribbean-2020, Colombia, English Teaching Assistant
  • Ralph Lawton from Avondale, Pennsylvania, Economics-2020, Indonesia, Creating Culturally Specific Population Tools for Alzheimer’s Diagnostics and Prevention
  • Tina Liang from Clovis, California, computer science-2017, Taiwan, English Teaching Assistant
  • Jessica Marlow from Spartanburg, South Carolina, Global Health, Asian and Middle Eastern Studies-2020, Taiwan, National Taiwan University Award in Global Health
  • James Rees from Mooresville, North Carolina, Mathematics-2019, Laos, English Teaching Assistant
  • Max St. George from Wheaton, Illinois, Economics with Finance Concentration-2019, Malaysia, English Teaching Assistant
  • Sahil Sandhu from Milpitas, California, Program II Health Innovation: Evidence to Impact-2020, United Kingdom, Fulbright/Newcastle University Award for a master’s degree in Heath Services Research
  • Michael Shu from Mason, Ohio, Biology-2020, Taiwan, English Teaching Assistant
  • Andrew Tsai from Ellicott City, Maryland, Biology and Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (Chinese Concentration)-2020, English Teaching Assistant
  • Austin Zhang from Cary, North Carolina, Neuroscience-2020, South Korea, English Teaching Assistant

“This year we were delighted to have 81 applications from Duke for these Fulbright awards,” said Bevin Tighe, program coordinator for Nationally Competitive Scholarships at Duke. “We hope to build on that momentum with even more applicants in 2020. Fulbright prizes the diversity of its awardees’ experiences and backgrounds, and we hope that Duke students and alumni will reach out for support to pursue this life-changing opportunity.” 

Duke students and alumni thinking about applying can take advantage of the full range of advising support from Nationally Competitive Scholarships by acting this summer. Application drafts are due in June and July. The campus deadline for the Fulbright Student Program for 2021 is Aug. 14, 2020.

For more information about the Fulbright Student Program, visit https://us.fulbrightonline.org.