Maroons continue trend of Fulbright Scholar success
February 10, 2021
In a year with a record number of applicants for Fulbright Scholarships, three Roanoke students have earned spots as semifinalists for the prestigious honor. Seven Maroons applied for the program, and to get almost half of them named as semifinalists is impressive, Director of Major Scholarships and Fellowships Jenny Rosti said.
"We won't know if they receive awards until much later this spring," Rosti said, "but in a year where there were a record number of applicants, I am awfully proud of them."
Roanoke is the only bachelor's college in Virginia that has produced at least one Fulbright scholar per year since 2013, Rosti said. In the 2017-18 academic year, Fulbright named Roanoke as a Top Producer.
We won't know if they receive awards until much later this spring, but in a year where there were a record number of applicants, I am awfully proud of them.
Director of Major Scholarships and Fellowships Jenny Rosti
In recent years, 19 Maroons have been named as Fulbright scholars and 13 have earned Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarships. Nine have been awarded chances to participate in the selective Fulbright US-UK Summer Institute. Nine students have earned Freeman Asia scholarships, too.
The Fulbright program is a cultural exchange program that aims to improve intercultural relations between Americans and other countries through the exchange of knowledge and skills. In the past few years, Fulbright scholars from Roanoke have gone to Indonesia, India, Spain, Denmark, Mexico and Brazil, among other countries.