The Chronicle of Higher Education once again named Scripps College a top producer of student Fulbright Fellowships in its annual “bachelor’s institutions” category ranking. For several consecutive years, the College has rivaled larger campuses in the number of Fulbrights awarded to students.
A high percentage of Scripps students are annually awarded such prestigious national grants and fellowships as the Davis Projects for Peace, the Goldwater Scholarship, the Watson, and Fulbright grants. The College’s rigorous academics and high-achieving students are two reasons for the trend.
“Scripps students are open to possibilities and passionate about what they want to do,” says Associate Dean of Faculty Gretchen Edwalds-Gilbert, who assists students applying for academic fellowships. “They combine that passion with their strong liberal arts training in critical thinking and communication to submit competitive applications.”
In addition, students have many campus resources to help them in the application process, Edwalds-Gilbert says. Career Planning & Resources meets with students for practice dialogues, since many of the fellowships require phone and/or in-person interviews. The Writing Center is available for students as they draft their first-person essays, and peer mentoring is another contributing factor to Scripps students’ success.
“We encourage current students to contact recent alumnae who have had a Fulbright or other award, and the alumnae are happy to share their insights,” says Edwalds-Gilbert.
Of the 18 students who applied for a Fulbright this year, 13 advanced as finalists, and seven received a fellowship. Nationally, less than 30 percent of all applicants advance as finalists. Scripps, with 980 students, ranks well above the national average.
“Overall, Scripps fares better than other colleges and universities on a per capita basis, and on the ratio between number of applicants and number of awards,” Edwalds-Gilbert says.
Celebrating our Scholars
Several Scripps students have been awarded various national fellowships to date, with more to come. Congratulations to the following awardees!
Allison Slater ’15
Fulbright Research Award, Mexico
Hometown: San Diego
Major: Hispanic studies
Colleen Syms ’15
Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship, Malaysia
Hometown: San Antonio, Tex.
Major: History
Heather Anderson ’15
Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship, Taiwan
Hometown: Oakland, Calif.
Major: Human biology
Leah Hughes ’15
Thomas J. Watson Fellowship
Hometown: Fairdale, Kentucky
Major: Politics/international relations and studio art
Martha Kresz Bierut ’15
Princeton in Africa Fellowship
Hometown: Tarrytown, New York
Major: Organismal biology
Rebecca Shin ’15
Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship, South Korea
Hometown: Columbus, Ohio
Major: Religious studies and politics/international relations
Sarah Han ’15
Davis Projects for Peace
Hometown: Arcata, Calif.
Major: Human biology with a public and global health emphasis
Sarah Owens ’15
Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship, Mexico
Hometown: Davis, Calif.
Major: Public policy analysis and Hispanic studies
Shalina Omar ’15
Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship, Indonesia
Hometown: Oakland, Calif.
Major: Linguistics and cognitive science
Vaishali Ravi ’15
Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship, Malaysia
Hometown: Arcadia, Calif.
Major: Economics and French