From Peru to Uganda and countries in between, eight Denisonians will spend the next academic year teaching English abroad, conducting research, or working toward advanced degrees through either the 2026-27 Fulbright U.S. Student Program or other highly-desired programs. Two additional graduating seniors have been named alternates and may be promoted to recipient if funding becomes available.
Denison’s Fulbright winners this year include:
- Viola Day, a biology major with minors in chemistry and theatre whose Fulbright grant will fund a M.Sc. in public health at the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom.
- Kyle Eller, a biochemistry major who will teach English in Germany.
- Yahir Fernandez-Alvarez, a religion major who will teach English in Peru.
- Jack Helms, a politics & public affairs major with a minor in Earth & environmental sciences who will teach English in the Slovak Republic.
- Brennan Kelley, a philosophy, politics, & economics major with a minor in data for political research who will teach English in Uganda.
- Carlia Lopez, a sustainability & environmental studies major with a minor in Spanish whose Fulbright grant will fund a research project characterizing tick species in Ecuador.
- Sophia Scime, a double major in German and international studies who was offered a Fulbright grant to teach English in Germany.
- Weston Wharton, a double major in Spanish and language science (an individually designed major) who was offered a Fulbright grant to teach English in Spain.
Six of the recipients plan to accept their award offers, while two will decline to pursue other prestigious opportunities. Scime will decline her Fulbright U.S. Student award to teach English in Austria with the US Teaching Assistantship program (funded by the Austrian Fulbright Commission). Wharton will decline his grant to pursue a fully funded U.S. doctoral program.
Hadiya El-Maraghy, a double major in French and politics and public affairs, is an alternate to the English teaching assistantship program in Senegal.
Rosa Perez, a double major in educational studies and Spanish, is an alternate to the English teaching assistantship program in South Korea.
Fulbright selection criteria include academic and professional achievement, the strength of an applicant’s proposal, and their ability to demonstrate qualities such as responsibility, maturity, and adaptability.
“The success of our students speaks volumes about the kinds of students we have at Denison, and the tremendous mentorship they receive from our faculty and staff,” Denison President Adam Weinberg said. “I am super proud of our students and grateful for the ways our faculty and staff unlock the academic talents and confidence within our students and help them develop as human beings who want to contribute to things larger than themselves. It’s the liberal arts at its best.”
At Denison, the Fulbright U.S. Student Program is administered through the Lisska Center for Intellectual Engagement. The Lisska Center supports Fulbright applicants through every stage of the process, including identifying applicable grants, drafting application materials, completing their campus committee evaluation interview, and preparing for interviews with Fulbright commissions.
“All of our 39 Fulbright applicants worked tremendously hard on their applications over the previous summer,” said Corey Efron, assistant director of fellowships and Denison’s designated Fulbright program advisor. “The Fulbright application requires students to reflect on their experiences to present a clear narrative for readers, and each applicant completed an intensively iterative process to perfect their application essays.”
Five of Denison’s eight winners —Day, Fernandez-Alvarez, Helms, Kelley, and Wharton — participated in Denison’s Scholar-Leader program, which supports students seeking to apply what they learn in the classroom for the benefit of Licking County in the form of community impact initiatives. The program is graduating its first cohort of seniors this May.
“The Scholar-Leader program introduces students to fellowships early in their academic career,” said Andrea Lourie, the Scholar-Leader Program Faculty, “and by facilitating the scholar-leaders’ substantial initiative in the community, we are helping the students demonstrate the leadership potential prestigious fellowships seek in applicants.”
Established in 1946 to promote global peace and American prosperity through educational and cultural exchange, the Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international academic exchange initiative. Fulbright grants fund American students to spend an academic year abroad teaching English, conducting research, or enrolling in a master’s program. Recipients advance knowledge and innovation, foster solutions to complex global challenges, and promote peaceful relations between the United States and their host countries.
Denison’s eight grantees will join a distinguished network of alumni who have served as heads of state, judges, ambassadors, cabinet ministers, CEOs, and university presidents, as well as leading journalists, artists, scientists, and educators. Fulbright alumni have earned 63 Nobel Prizes, 98 Pulitzer Prizes, and 83 MacArthur Fellowships, among many other honors. Since its inception in 1946, nearly 450,000 individuals have participated in the program, contributing to its legacy of excellence and impact.
Applications for 2027-2028 Fulbright grants will be due in October, and current juniors, seniors, and recent graduates are eligible to apply. Denisonians seeking a postgraduate year abroad are encouraged to contact Corey Efron to learn how they can work on a Fulbright application this summer to prepare for the fall deadline.
