Oberlin a Top Producer of Fulbright Students for 2023-24

Today, the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State recognized Oberlin College and Conservatory as a Top Producer of Fulbright Students for the 15th consecutive year.

The Fulbright Program is the federal government's flagship international academic exchange program. Since 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided more than 400,000 talented and accomplished students, scholars, teachers, artists, and professionals of all backgrounds with the opportunity to study, teach, and conduct research abroad. 

“Fulbright’s Top Producing Institutions represent the diversity of America’s higher education community,” says Lee Satterfield, Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs. “Dedicated administrators support students and scholars at these institutions to fulfill their potential and rise to address tomorrow’s global challenges. We congratulate them, and all the Fulbrighters who are making an impact the world over.”

Sixteen students from Oberlin were selected for Fulbright awards for the 2023-24 academic year—tied for second most in the country. Oberlin is a perennial leader in Fulbright honorees among undergraduate institutions; it remains third on the all-time list, with more than 265 Fulbright recipients.

“It is not by chance that Oberlin is a Top Producer of Fulbright winners year after year,” says Oberlin College and Conservatory President Carmen Twillie Ambar. “We devote considerable time, energy and resources to supporting our students’ ambitious academic pursuits. At Oberlin we invest in our students’ success.”

Oberlin students are service-minded, creative and curious about the world, which makes them a natural fit for the Fulbright program. 

“We offer individualized guidance to students throughout the entire application process,” explains Danielle Abdon, Oberlin’s Director of Fellowships & Awards. “This support includes initial meetings to brainstorm ideas, weekly and all-day writing sessions, feedback from faculty and staff experts, and multiple rounds of drafts review. Through the Writing Center, our applicants also have access to a team of Writing Associates trained to support Fulbright applications, essentially ensuring that they can get round-the-clock assistance on their materials.”

Oberlin’s 2023-24 Fulbrighters

The following Obies received Fulbright fellowships for the 2023-2024 academic year:

Dewi Beer ’22, who completed majors in economics and East Asian studies and an integrative concentration in education studies, is teaching in Taiwan.

Theodore Canter ’23, a graduate with majors in cinema studies and comparative literature and a minor in Middle East and North African studies, is teaching in Greece.

Monica Dix ’20, who earned a degree in geology and politics, earned a Fulbright Study and Research Award for studies related to New Zealand’s disaster preparedness at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch.

Hillel Hinton-Williams ’23, who studied psychology, is teaching in Germany.

James Holland ’21, who earned a degree in comparative literature and German, is teaching in Germany.

Ellie Jensen ’23, a German and economics major with a concentration in mathematics, is teaching in Germany.

Abigail Kantt ’22, who earned a degree in environmental studies and Hispanic studies, is teaching in Argentina.

Nondini Nagarwalla ’23, who majored in economics and East Asian studies, is teaching in Taiwan.

Anna Sheik ’23, who graduated from Oberlin with majors in history and Latin American studies and a minor in Hispanic studies, is teaching in Mexico.

Bridget Smith ’21, who earned a degree in politics, is teaching in Malawi.

Railey Stern Yen ’23, a double-degree graduate with majors in economics and jazz performance and a minor in statistical modeling, is teaching in Taiwan.

Beaux Watwood, a studio art major, is teaching in Germany.

Nicolas Zamora ’23, a politics major, is teaching English language and leading a Model United Nations program at a high school in Madrid, Spain.

Katie Frevert ’22, who earned a degree in creative writing and Russian and Eastern European Studies with a minor in history, was awarded a Fulbright teaching fellowship to Georgia, but opted to enter the University of California, Berkeley, as a Ph.D student in the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures.

Emma Hart ’23, who graduated with majors in psychology and dance, a law and society minor and a concentration in education studies, earned a teaching fellowship to the Czech Republic but is currently devoting a year to observing programs that create dialogues among boys in middle and high schools, raising awareness and curbing the incidence of sexual violence, thanks to a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship.

Paris Mercurio ’23, who majored in Creative Writing and minored in Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies, earned a Fulbright to the Czech Republic, but accepted a Shansi Fellowship to Gadjah Mada University, Indonesia.

About Fulbright

Fulbright alumni work to make a positive impact on their communities and the world and have included 41 heads of state, 62 Nobel Laureates, 89 Pulitzer Prize winners, 80 MacArthur Fellows, and countless leaders and changemakers who build mutual understanding between the people of the United State and the people of other countries. For more information about the Fulbright Program, visit fulbrightprogram.org.

To learn more about fellowship opportunities at Oberlin, visit our Center for Engaged Liberal Arts Fellowships and Awards page or make an appointment with Danielle Abdon. Please sign up for any available time or send an email to fellowships@oberlin.edu.