Roanoke College is a Top Producer of Fulbright U.S. Students

Roanoke College is one of the nation's top producers of Fulbright U.S. students for 2017-18, the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs announced today.

Roanoke-which has produced at least one Fulbright student in each of the past five years, with a record six students for the 2017-18 academic year-is the only Virginia college included on the Fulbright students list for bachelor's degree institutions. Already this year, Roanoke has six new Fulbright finalists who will learn the status of awards later this spring.

"Roanoke College pleased to be among the top producing Fulbright institutions," Dr. Richard Smith, vice president and dean of the college, said. "This is not only a testament to the extraordinary abilities of our students, but also to our standing as one of the leading colleges in Virginia and the nation. On behalf of the faculty and staff, I wish to congratulate our students on their success. Their experiences will not only enrich their lives, but also the lives of those they touch both abroad and here on campus. They are examples to all of us of how to engage the world and to pursue lives of purpose and accomplishment."

The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government's flagship international educational exchange program. Since its inception in 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided more than 380,000 participants-chosen for their academic merit and leadership potential-with the opportunity to exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns. Over 1,900 U.S. students, artists and young professionals in more than 100 different fields of study are offered Fulbright Program grants to study, teach English, and conduct research abroad each year. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program operates in over 140 countries throughout the world.

At Roanoke College, the Fulbright competition is administered through Professor Jenny Rosti, the director of major scholarships and fellowships. Rosti works with students interested in applying for programs such as Fulbright, Truman and Rhodes scholarships.

"With the establishment of the Major Scholarships and Fellowships office four years ago, Roanoke college showed its commitment to student achievement," Rosti said. "This national recognition is testament to the work of the students, the faculty and staff who recommend and mentor them, and an administration who supports these efforts. Together, we are creating a Scholarship Culture for our students."  

Roanoke has produced at least one Fulbright student in each of the past five years, with a record six students receiving Fulbright student awards in the most recent year. The six were:

• Abigail Guarino received a Fulbright to teach in Brazil. Guarino graduated in May 2017 with B.A.s in psychology and Spanish.
• Edyth Cisneros received a Fulbright ETA to teach in Mexico.  She graduated in May 2017 with a B.A. in communications studies and in Spanish.
• Brieanah Gouveia received a Fulbright US-UK award for graduate studies at the University of Glasgow in Scotland.  Gouveia graduated in May 2017 with a B.A. in art history.
• Savannah Scott received a Fulbright Study/research award for Austria.  Scott graduated in May 2017 with a B.S. in biology.
• Stephanie Shields received a Fulbright Study/Research award for Germany.  Shields graduated in May 2017 with a B.S. in psychology.
• Kristen Wicander received a Fulbright ETA to teach in Spain.  Wicander graduated in May 2017 with a B.A. in psychology and Spanish.  

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is a program of the U.S. Department of State, funded by an annual appropriation from the U.S. Congress to the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and supported in its implementation by the Institute of International Education.

Top-producing institutions are highlighted annually in The Chronicle of Higher Education. For more information about the Fulbright Program, visit http://eca.state.gov/fulbright.