One of the most prestigious awards programs worldwide, the Fulbright Program is a terrific match for the 10 Scripps College students who were awarded competitive, merit-based grants this year for a range of intriguing international experiences. With one student declining the offer and one completing the process after the October 4 deadline for inclusion in the national listing, Scripps College was still named as one of the top producers of Fulbright scholars, tied for fourth place in the nation this year among bachelor’s institutions in number of student recipients.
Pitzer and Smith Colleges are in first place with 19 each; Pomona, second, with 15; Colgate, Mount Holyoke, and Occidental, third, with 9 each; and Scripps, Hamilton, and St. Olaf , fourth, with 8 each.
The nine scholars accepting the Fulbright are, from the class of 2011: Anna Fiastro, to study agriculture in Brazil; Alayna Fisher, to teach English in Germany; Allison Kupsco, to teach English in Mongolia; Melissa Munoz, to teach English in Malaysia; Emilia Sawada, to teach English in South Korea; Katherine Sklar, to pursue political science research in Slovenia; Adelina Solis, to teach English in Vietnam; and Kate Wiley, to teach English in Malaysia. Maya Higgins, from the class of 2010, will teach English in Thailand.
“It is no surprise that Scripps ranks so high in the number of Fulbright scholars,” said Scripps College President Lori Bettison-Varga. “We have a remarkably large percentage of students who study abroad during their years at Scripps—somewhere between 60 and 65%. Scripps College also emphasizes throughout its curriculum the value of understanding different cultures in an increasingly interconnected world. It is heartening to see this value exemplified in our recent graduates through their pursuits and achievements, including Fulbright scholarships.”
Thierry Boucquey, professor of French, is the Fulbright program administrator for Scripps. He attributes the growing number of awards that Scripps students have received recently to “seeing other students’ success and the firm belief that a Fulbright is attainable.”
As program administrator, Boucquey advertises the program and assists the students with the application process, including counseling, organizing interviews, and completing the campus evaluation report. He credits Patricia Guenther-Gleason, assistant director in the Off-Campus Study office, as invaluable to the process. “I could not do it without her assistance,” he said. “She is owed a large share of the success Scripps has had with the Fulbright program.”
Congratulations to the Scripps College Fulbright scholars and to all involved!