SALISBURY, MD—Salisbury University has been named among the nation’s top producers of Fulbright Students for 2018-19 by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
The Fulbright is the country’s flagship international exchange program. Top-producing campuses were highlighted in The Chronicle of Higher Education.
From SU, receiving Fulbright awards for this academic year were Caroline Deschak, who graduated in 2014, and Danielle Walker and Martina Maya-Callen, who both graduated in May 2018.
“This is the second consecutive year that SU has earned this designation,” said Dr. Karen Olmstead, provost and senior vice president of academic affairs. “Global experiences are a key component of an SU education, and these are important opportunities for our students.”
Deschak earned her Fulbright to study in Mexico; she is pursuing a master’s in public health at the Instituto Nacional de Salud Publica in Cuernavaca. Walker of Owings Mills, MD, and Maya-Callen of Laurel, MD, earned English Teaching Assistantships.
Walker is in Moldova in Eastern Europe. She is teaching English to tourism students who start in high school and finish with a college degree. She also is serving as a citizen volunteer liaison for the U.S. Embassy and helping create a PRISM conference to support LGBTQ+ Fulbrighters around the world.
Maya-Callen heads to Buenos Aires in Argentina in March. She will teach university students and use her art to build awareness about body image issues.
“Our students are truly amazing,” said Dr. Kristen Walton, director of SU’s Nationally Competitive Fellowships Office, which provides mentorship and support to applicants. “SU is among the top 19 master’s-level institutions nationally for its number of Fulbright students, and we are the only master’s-level campus in Maryland spotlighted in The Chronicle.”
Only one other University System of Maryland campus was included: the University of Maryland Baltimore (a special focus institution). The only other Maryland campus listed was Johns Hopkins University (a research institution).
SU has had 10 Fulbright Students since its first in 2012. Thirteen SU students are Fulbright semifinalists for 2019-20. More than 30 SU students have won national and international fellowships, scholarships and awards in the past seven years. SU also has a long history of faculty, administrator and alumni Fulbrighters, and has twice been among the nation’s top producers of those awards.
Since its inception in 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided more than 390,000 participants with the opportunity to exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns. Some 1,900 U.S. students are offered Fulbrights annually. The program operates in over 140 countries.
SU students or alumni who are interested in applying for any fellowships may contact Walton at kpwalton@salisbury.edu for assistance. For more information, visit www.salisbury.edu/nationalfellowships.
