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For 5th year in a row, IU is a top producer for Fulbright U.S. Student Program

For Immediate Release Feb 11, 2020

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Academic year 2019-20 marks the fifth year in a row that Indiana University has been named a top producer for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, as announced by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

Fourteen IU Bloomington students and two IUPUI students received Fulbright awards for this academic year. The lists of top-producing institutions appeared in the Feb. 9 issue of The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Megan Diekhoff in Colombia
Megan Diekhoff has an English teaching assistantship in Colombia through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program.Photo courtesy of Megan Diekhoff

“The prestigious Fulbright award gives IU students the opportunity to immerse themselves in international experiences that will prepare them for the increasingly competitive global marketplace,” IU President Michael A. McRobbie said. “We are extremely proud that IU continues to be a top producer of Fulbright scholars. These awards reflect the excellence of our students, faculty and programs, and our commitment to international engagement.”

Maggie Hopkins, who served as vice president of IU Student Government during her time in Bloomington, has always been interested in her grandmother’s home country, Germany. Now, in addition to teaching English in Giessen, Germany, Hopkins is taking an economic development course at Justus-Liebig University, exploring local coffee shops and hosting German friends for game nights.

“My job, in addition to being an English teacher, is also that of a cultural ambassador,” Hopkins said. “I view my job as diplomacy on a micro-level. For many of my students, I am the first American they have ever met.”

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. It is supported in its implementation by the Institute of International Education.

The Fulbright Program also awards grants to U.S. scholars, teachers and faculty to conduct research and teach overseas. In addition, about 4,000 foreign Fulbright students and scholars come to the United States annually to study, lecture, conduct research and teach foreign languages. Students who are interested in pursuing a Fulbright U.S. Student Program grant should contact their respective adviser, which can be found on the Fulbright U.S. Student Program website.

Below is a list of IU’s Fulbright U.S. Student Program grant recipients, including their major(s), host country and type of Fulbright award:

IU Bloomington

  • Morgan Book: Economic consulting; Serbia; English teaching assistantship.
  • Samuel Day: East Asian languages and cultures; Germany; English teaching assistantship.
  • Juan del Valle-Coello: Slavic and East European languages and cultures; Russia; English teaching assistantship.
  • Megan Diekhoff: Spanish; Colombia; English teaching assistantship.
  • Jaclyn Flores: Spanish; Brazil; English teaching assistantship.
  • Jessica Gingles: Neuroscience; Mexico; English teaching assistantship.
  • Abigail Gipson: International studies; Russia; English teaching assistantship.
  • Margaret Hopkins: Policy analysis; Germany; English teaching assistantship.
  • Mathilde Lind: Folklore and ethnomusicology; Estonia; research.
  • Mary Claire Pappas: Art history; Sweden; research.
  • Nabia Rahman: Political science; India; research.
  • Michelle Schulte: Russian and East European studies; Russia; English teaching assistantship.
  • Abigail Scripka: International studies; Lithuania; English teaching assistantship.
  • Amanda Tolen: Speech and hearing sciences; Spain; English teaching assistantship.

IUPUI

  • Grady Kepler: Teaching of English to speakers of other languages; Jordan; English teaching assistantship.
  • Alexis Turpin: Nursing and Spanish; Colombia; English teaching assistantship.

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