Denison students are among the best and the brightest in the nation. In fact, this year, for the fourth occasion in the past five years, Denison was recognized as being among the leaders in the country for the number of its students who were awarded Fulbrights.

Adam Davis, director of Denison’s Lisska Center for Scholarly Engagement, notes, “We are thrilled to see our students successfully competing at the highest levels for prestigious academic fellowships. By putting together an application for one of these competitive fellowships, our students learn a great deal about themselves, their passions, and the meaning of their liberal arts education. These fellowships present our students with life-transforming experiences, enabling them to serve as cultural ambassadors around the world, to engage deeply in research and academic study, and to launch rewarding careers.”

English and international studies major Sara Abou Rashed ‘21 was one of only 18 students nation-wide to be awarded a prestigious Beinecke Scholarship to fund a graduate course of study in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. Abou Rashed also was a finalist for the Truman Scholarship in public service. Fellow international studies major Caroline Cary ‘20 was a finalist for the Marshall Scholarship.

Biochemistry major Harper “Hoke” Wallace ‘21 was awarded a Fulbright École Normale Supérieure (ENS) Paris-Saclay Award to pursue a graduate program in cognitive science at the prestigious French school. Last year, Wallace was awarded a Goldwater Scholarship, one of the most prestigious national scholarships in science and math. After he attains his master’s, Wallace plans to attend medical school.

This year several outstanding Denison seniors were awarded Fulbright English Teaching Assistantships (ETA). ETA programs place Fulbrighters in classrooms abroad to provide assistance to the local English teachers. ETAs help teach the English language while serving as cultural ambassadors for the U.S. Denison’s Fulbright ETA recipients for 2020 include:

• Jeff Alder ‘20, political science major: English Teaching Assistantship to Germany. Alder also received a Congress Bundestag Youth Exchange Fellowship.
• Rosa Canales ‘20, German and English major: English Teaching Assistantship to Germany.
• Autumn Goodrum-Davis ‘20, anthropology and sociology major, English Teaching Assistantship to Brazil. The Critical Language Scholarship also named Goodrum-Davis ’20 as an alternate for Portuguese in Brazil.
• Katherine Truitt ’20, an individually designed major with a German minor: English Teaching Assistantship to Germany.

In addition to these awardees, the following were named as Fulbright Alternates. These candidates may be promoted to finalist status if additional funding becomes available.

• Chloe Sferra ’20, communication and English major with a narrative journalism concentration: English Teaching Assistantship to South Korea.
• Julia Tallant ‘20, international studies major with a Spanish minor: English Teaching Assistantship to Colombia.
• Harrison DeChant ‘20, political science, German and music major: English Teaching Assistantship to Austria.
• Nicholas DeChant ’20 political science, German and music major: English Teaching Assistantship to Austria.

The Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program is a summer study abroad opportunity for American college and university students to learn languages that the U.S. State Department considers as essential to America’s engagement with the world. Michael Ball ‘22, political science major with a concentration in Middle East & North African Studies, received a Critical Language Scholarship in Arabic. Mathematics major and computer science minor Griffin Jeanette ’20 was named as an alternate for Mandarin in China.