16 UNC Students Awarded Fulbrights for Global Research and Teaching
August 27, 2018
UNC Global Affairs
Sixteen students and recent graduates from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have been awarded Fulbright U.S. Student Program grants. The grants are for self-designed research and study projects or to teach English abroad during the 2017-2018 academic year.
The students receive funding for travel, health insurance and a monthly stipend to cover living expenses during the 9- to 12-month grant period. They passed a rigorous and holistic selection process.
“Receiving a Fulbright enhances students’ chances of enrolling in a highly competitive graduate program, and it is a great chance to build a strong international network to boost employment prospects in an increasingly tight job market,” said Iyman Gaspard, Fulbright program adviser at the UNC Center for Global Initiatives.
This year’s Fulbright Students studied in a diverse array of fields at Carolina, including public policy, journalism and exercise and sports science. With their awards, they will complete projects as varied as researching native and introduced trees in Ecuador, exploring language development in Chinese-English bilinguals and teaching English in Jordan.
This flagship international educational exchange program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Fulbright is administered nationally by the Institute of International Education and through the Center for Global Initiatives at UNC. Designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and international communities, the program operates in more than 160 countries.
The Fulbright U.S. Student Program 2017-2018 grant winners who applied through UNC appear below in alphabetical order.
UNC Fulbright Students, 2017-2018
Sandy Alkoutami, a 2018 graduate, is teaching English in Jordan. Alkoutami earned a bachelor’s degree in public policy with a minor in Islamic and Middle Eastern studies.
Norman Archer, a 2018 graduate, is teaching English in Vietnam. Archer earned a bachelor’s degree in public health nutrition with minors in medical anthropology and chemistry.
William Barlow, a 2018 graduate, received a Fulbright to teach English in Malaysia. Barlow earned a bachelor’s degree in management and society with a minor in history.
Emma Buckingham, a current doctoral student in the Department of Archeology, is conducting research in Greece for her thesis, “Connectivity and Networks of Greek Dispersal in the Central Mediterranean.”
Caitlyn Carpio, a 2018 graduate, is teaching English in Taiwan. Carpio earned a bachelor’s degree with a double major in global studies and Asian studies.
Rebecca Dou, a 2018 graduate, is teaching English in Taiwan. Dou earned a bachelor’s degree in exercise and sports science with minors in anthropology and Chinese.
Brent Eisenbarth is teaching English in Spain. Eisenbarth earned a bachelor’s degree with a double major in comparative literature and Romance languages and a minor in linguistics from UNC in 2016 and his master’s degree in linguistics in 2018.
Bryan Reatini, current doctoral student in the Department of Biology, is conducting research in Ecuador for his thesis, “Hybridization between native and introduced trees in the Galápagos Islands.”
Naomi Robalino, a 2017 graduate, is teaching English in South Korea. Robalino earned a bachelor’s degree with a double major in public policy and global studies.
Sophia Shwartz, a 2018 graduate, is teaching English in Russia. Shwartz earned a bachelor’s degree in biology with minors in chemistry and Germanic and Slavic language and literature.
Samuel Silverstein, a 2018 graduate, is teaching English in India. Silverstein earned a bachelor’s degree in English with minors in creative writing and history.
Sarah Sturdivant, a 2018 graduate, is teaching English in Malaysia. Sturdivant earned a bachelor’s degree with a double major in media and journalism and English.
Katherine Styers, a 2018 graduate, is teaching English in South Korea. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Asian studies with a minor in Korean.
Katie Tardio, a current doctoral student in the Department of Classics, is conducting research on in Spain for her thesis “Roman Conquest and Changes in Animal Economy in the Northeast of the Iberian Peninsula.”
Daniela Weiner, a current doctoral student in the Department of History, is conducting research in Germany.
Max Wolpert, a 2014 graduate and current doctoral student at McGill University in the Department of Neuroscience, is conducting research in China for his thesis “Second Language Impact in First Language Attrition in Chinese-English Bilinguals.” Wolpert earned a bachelor’s degree with a double major in chemistry and Romance languages.
Center for Global Initiatives media contact: Katie Costanza, 919.843.7546, katierc@unc.edu