Georgetown University boasted a record number of Fulbright Fellowships in 2008, with 18 students and recent graduates selected for the prestigious international exchange program. The J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board selected the Georgetown students and alumni based on their academic achievement and leadership potential.
"At Georgetown we believe the exchange of ideas between people of different faiths, cultures and beliefs fosters deeper understanding," said President John J. DeGioia. "As we celebrate the largest number of Fulbrights in Georgetown's history, we take great pride in the accomplishments of these remarkable men and women knowing the difference their work will make around the world."
With funding from the Fulbright Program, the Georgetown selectees will travel overseas to conduct research or teach English all over the world, including Azerbaijan, China, Columbia, Egypt, Germany, Hungary, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Syria, Tanzania and Tunisia.
“We are especially happy to see the significant growth in undergraduate Fulbright winners," said John Glavin, university fellowship secretary and director of The Gervase Programs. “This is a tribute not only to the students themselves, but to Georgetown's institutional commitment to study abroad and to the funding of undergraduate research."
The Fulbright Program, sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the United States Department of State, is the flagship international educational exchange program that aims to build mutual understanding and respect between the U.S. and the rest of the world.
The 2008-09 Georgetown Fulbright award winners are:
• Ayesha Bakali (C'08), who will study Islamic endowments in Kuwait.
• Alexander Davenport (SFS'08), will explore the role of education in the future of migrants in China.
• Hammad B. Hammad (SFS'08), who will go to the Netherlands to study viable approaches to establishing peace between Palestine and Israel.
• Christina Hanna (SFS'08), who will study rural tobacco consumption in Egypt.
• Emily Herzberg (NHS'08), who will study HIV/AIDS and sexual abuse among women in Argentina.
• Munir Jawed (SFS'08), who will study the historic relationship between oil and independence in Azerbaijan.
• Reaz Mehdi (SFS'07), who will research the importance of social networking in the lives of street children in Bandgladesh.
• Ethan Morton-Jerome (G'08), who will research Muslim and Christian pilgrimage sights in Syria.
• Danny L. Noorlander (PhD Candidate), who will study religious encounters in the Netherlands.
• Jacqueline Powers (C'06), who will study women's socio-economic empowerment in Morocco.
• Sara Rafsky (C'07), who will study the impact of photojournalism in Columbia.
• Robyn Russo (C'04, G'08), who will teach English in Hungary.
• Katherine Schaefer (SFS'08), who will study ecological conservation at Mexico.
• Dominique Shure (SFS'08), who will study education policies and the assimilation of Turkish children in Germany.
• Theodore Svoronos (SFS'08), who will study an HIV/AIDS information system in Tanzania.
• Laura Thompson (C'08), who will study the obstacles facing working women in Tunisia.
• Erin M. Winkler-McCue (G'06), who will study innovative business strategies in Mexico.
• Khadijeh Zarafshar (C'08), who will teach English in Malaysia.
The Fulbright Program is the largest U.S. international exchange program offering students, scholars, teachers and professionals the opportunity to undertake graduate study, conduct advanced research or teach abroad. The program was established in 1946, under legislation introduced by the late Sen. J. William Fulbright of Arkansas. Since its inception, more than 286,000 grantees have participated in exchanges. For more information, visit http://exchanges.state.gov.
