Next level: Fulbright scholarships help students take their academic pursuits across the globe

Ever wonder what it would be like to take your scholarly pursuits out into the world? Students and recent alumni are doing just that through the Fulbright U.S. Student Scholarships program.

Most recently, two Panthers received prestigious Fulbright student awards from the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. Brittany Torres Rivera ’21 and Jordan Hill are gearing up for a year of study, research and teaching abroad, all funded by the Fulbright U.S. Student Program — the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program.

Torres Rivera will travel to one of her longtime dream destinations: Spain. The English literature alumna will learn about Spanish culture and language while teaching English in Madrid.

A creative writing grad student and adjunct professor at FIU, Hill will be traveling to the Italian island of Sardinia to work on his next writing project. He will create a novel made up of short stories that explore the effects of climate change in Sardinia, a topic dear to his heart. 

As Fulbright participants, the two will join a network of thousands, which include 61 Nobel Prize laureates, 89 Pulitzer Prize recipients and 40 people who have served as a head of state or government.

“FIU has been an active participant in the Fulbright Program for nearly 50 years,” says Ashley Floyd Kuntz, director of Prestigious Scholar Development and clinical assistant professor of higher education. “We have sent and received nearly 300 Fulbright participants across 93 countries."

FIU has been a partner to the Fulbright program in many ways. Since the 1970s, FIU has hosted on its campuses more than 100 Fulbright scholars and student visitors from every continent. Since 2016, FIU has been recognized multiple times as a top producer of Fulbright U. S. Scholars for sending more than 6 FIU faculty abroad in a given year.

The program has the potential to change lives, Kuntz says, adding that it's an opportunity Panthers should take full advantage of. If this sounds like the perfect combination of academics and travel, then you're in luck. The next round of Fulbright student awards is around the corner.

FIU's campus deadline is September 1, 2022. Undergraduate seniors, graduate students and recent alumni interested in applying for a Fulbright scholarship may access application resources through a free, self-paced, no-credit/no-grade course in FIU Develop. You can also email prestigious@fiu.edu for more information.

Fulbright U.S. Student Scholarships provide nine to 11 months of funding to teach English, earn a graduate degree and/or conduct research in more than 140 countries. You must be a U.S. citizen to apply. The program is open to students in all disciplines. 

Learn more about Torres-Rivera and Hill's Fulbright projects.