{"id":142795,"date":"2024-11-05T10:16:22","date_gmt":"2024-11-05T15:16:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795///news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795//www.ucf.edu/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795//news/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795//?p=142795"},"modified":"2025-06-17T13:34:10","modified_gmt":"2025-06-17T17:34:10","slug":"ucf-named-top-producer-for-fulbright-students-for-second-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795///news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795//www.ucf.edu/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795//news/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795//ucf-named-top-producer-for-fulbright-students-for-second-year/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795//","title":{"rendered":"UCF Named Top Producer for Fulbright Students for Second Year"},"content":{"rendered":"

Eleven UCF alums have earned Fulbright awards /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/u2014 marking the second highest number of recipients in university history. UCF has been recognized by The Chronicle of Higher Education as a Fulbright Top Producer twice in the last four years./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/n

The Fulbright application for 2025-26 is now open. The UCF deadline is Sept. 12./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/n

The Fulbright Program encourages cross-cultural dialogue and global exchange through opportunities to conduct research, pursue graduate study or teach English in more than 140 different countries worldwide. Students are able to truly immerse themselves in new environments and cultures through direct interactions and continual experiences within the community./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/n

Here are some stories of the Knights, including three Burnett Honors Scholars,  who have earned a place in the U.S. government/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/u2019s most prestigious academic exchange program./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/n

 /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/n

Christina Bertrand /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/u201923/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/n

Degree at UCF: Psychology/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/n

Fulbright destination: Brazil/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/n

Fulbright role: English teaching assistant/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/n

Career goals: Further education in cultural psychology/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/n

Advice to aspiring Fulbrighters: Do not be afraid to ask for support and assistance. Be sure to utilize resources at UCF, such as the Office of Prestigious Awards, as well as outside the university. Don/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/u2019t procrastinate! Be sure to start your application early, as you will need time to revise it./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/n

/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/u201cHere in the U.S., I currently teach international students under the F-1 visa who come to learn English for educational, professional and/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795//or personal endeavors. Although teaching was not the path I thought I was going down right after graduating, discovering what it means to be a teacher [is something] I am continually learning day by day. I learn from and for my students more than they do me, and I am thrilled to bring this discernment to Brazil in 2025./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/u201d/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/n

/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/u201cI am excited to have the privilege of being an ambassador for the United States, sharing the American culture from my multi-cultural perspective of being Haitian American, and being receptive and relating to the multicultural realities of the Brazilian people. I look forward to connecting with students and providing them with insight from my country that is well known in the media, but is different from a mundane native perspective, like my own./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/u201d/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/n

Olivia Bitcon /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/u201924/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/n

Degree at UCF: Physics (astronomy), Burnett Honors Scholar/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/n

Fulbright destination: Germany/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/n

Fulbright role: Open study/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795//research award/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/n

Career goals: Post-doctoral or faculty position at a research university/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/n

Advice to aspiring Fulbrighters: Start early! When applying for something so competitive, it/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/u2019s easy to think you might be wasting your efforts, which only amplifies when classes start and you have competing priorities./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/n

/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/u201cThe research that I/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/u2019m interested in involves the use of data from various astronomical objects, specifically pulsars, and different pulsars can be seen from different parts of the globe. For the best results, we need as many of these pulsars as we can get, which calls for international cooperation. That/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/u2019s what inspired me to apply for Fulbright in the first place. I chose Germany because I am interested in the history and culture, and I found a professor in my sub-field who [is] willing to work with me./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/u201d/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/n

/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/u201cMy Fulbright grant will place me at the University of M/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/u00fcnster. Though M/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/u00fcnster is a relatively large city in Germany, approximately one-fifth of its inhabitants are students. Each day, I will be working /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/u2014 and perhaps more importantly, living /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/u2014 with predominantly German students. The time I spend with fellow students inside and outside the academic setting would be my primary means of acting as a cultural ambassador. As someone who has never left the U.S., I have a sincere interest in sharing my culture and values, as well as experiencing new cultures and environments through interactions with others./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/u201d/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/n

Irene Corona /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/u201923/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/n

Degree at UCF: Health services administration/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/n

Fulbright destination: Mexico/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/n

Fulbright role: English teaching assistant/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/n

Career goals: Diagnostic medical sonography/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/n

Advice to aspiring Fulbrighters: Don/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/u2019t be intimidated by the prestige of the Fulbright award; believe in yourself and make use of the resources available to you. Be patient during the Fulbright application process as it takes time./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/n

/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/u201cGrowing up in a bilingual household and a bicultural community, my identity is highly influenced by both Mexican and American traditions and values. I also recognize the misunderstandings that occur between Americans and Mexicans related to differences in language and culture. Through teaching English and sharing my unique experience as an American, I look forward to bridging gaps between the two countries, recognizing our similarities and embracing our differences./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/u201d/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/n

/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/u201cOutside the classroom, I look forward to engaging students and other community members by starting and leading a film club dedicated to showcasing films that depict [the] first-generation and Mexican American experience. The films will be thought-provoking and expose students and the community to English from different settings. After each film, I plan to engage students and community members in conversations by asking about their opinions on the movie and what they would have done differently as a character or a producer of the film./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/u201d/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/n

Taylor Haycock /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/u201924/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/n

Degree at UCF: Political science, Burnett Honors Scholar/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/n

Fulbright destination: Germany/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/n

Fulbright role: English teaching assistant/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/n

Career goals: Foreign service officer/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/n

Advice to aspiring Fulbrighters: The Fulbright application requires a good amount of self-reflection. Be patient with yourself and give yourself plenty of time to get through the writer/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/u2019s block that many Fulbright applicants experience in drafting their essays. Your hard work on the application could pay off and grant you a Fulbright experience. Never forget that!/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/n

/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/u201cI lived in Germany for four years as a military kid before moving to Florida. Then in my junior year of college, I studied abroad in Hamburg, Germany, for seven months. As a kid, I loved my experience and when I returned as a student, that love was cemented. The landscape, the language and /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/u2014 most of all /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/u2014 the people enticed me to look for ways to return to the country post-grad. I first taught English as a foreign language during my sophomore semester at UCF, and after an exciting adventure into my own language, I wanted to continue teaching it. The Fulbright ETA Grant was the intersection of these interests. I could live and work in Germany doing something that I love, while simultaneously furthering my own study of the German language./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/u201d/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/n

/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/u201cI am most looking forward to meeting new people! From my fellow Fulbrighters to my future roommates to the students I will be teaching, there are so many opportunities to engage with both like-minded people and those with a completely different worldview. There is so much to learn, and I like to think people are the best teachers!/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/u201d/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/n

Channah Lohman /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/u201923/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/n

Degree at UCF: Anthropology/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/n

Fulbright destination: South Korea/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/n

Fulbright role: English teaching assistant/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/n

Career goals: English instructor/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795//art exhibitionist/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/n

Advice to aspiring Fulbrighters: Give yourself plenty of time to work on your application and essays. When you write your Fulbright essay, make sure it doesn/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/u2019t sound like a resume or every other Fulbright essay about topics like cultural immersion or a love for the world. Use personal experiences and developmental writing strategies to build a profile of yourself./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/n

/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/u201cWith a bachelor/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/u2019s degree in anthropology and a minor in communications, I have focused my trajectory on cultural education. In 2016 I traveled to Japan in partnership with Kansai University/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/u2019s English-Speaking Society as a conversation partner. For two weeks, I integrated with a team of Americans to host Japanese students on English learning activities while learning to love the cleanliness, modesty and dietary standards of our hosts. Korean language and culture, however, remained my passion. In 2022 I received the Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) for a two-month intensive language program in South Korea. There, I connected in person with the Korean culture, language and classroom. I also gained a student/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/u2019s perspective on language learning as my Korean level rose./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/u201d/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/n

/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/u201cI thought the Fulbright would not only let me continue the path begun with CLS, but would also open doors to opportunities for working in Korea. I believe the Fulbright is the best way for me to get the experience necessary to be truly proficient in both the [Korean]culture and language. I also know I love teaching and feel comfortable with the flow of Korean life as I experienced it./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/u201d/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/142795/n