SU Announces Record 15 Fulbright Student Semifinalists

SALISBURY, MD---Salisbury University has 15 semifinalists for prestigious U.S. Fulbright Student awards for the 2020-21 academic year – its largest number to date.

“They are undergraduates, grad students and alumni – and all have been highly recommended by their faculty,” said Dr. Kristen Walton, director of SU’s Nationally Competitive Fellowships Office. “Some are transfer students, some are winners of other international fellowships, and many are part of our Honors College.”

Seven seniors and two recent graduates are being considered for English Teaching Assistantships: Kimberly Arriaga-Gonzalez, an English major, from Seaford, DE, to Peru; John Bunke, an international studies major from Silver Spring, MD, to Azerbaijan; Rayna Danis ’19, an interdisciplinary studies major from Hurlock, MD, to Azerbaijan; Mia Dikos, a psychology major from Timonium, MD, to Spain; Eva Fialkowski, an English as a second language major from La Plata, MD, to India; Clayton Levy ’19, a communication major from Wyckoff, NJ, to Bulgaria; Allison Nalesnik, a biology major from Poolesville, MD, to Poland; Lydia Narum, a biology major, from Montgomery Village, MD, to Slovakia; and Jaycee Scanlon, a communication and English major from Glen Burnie, MD, to Israel.

Five seniors and one graduate student also are up for academic study and research awards: Abiodun Adeoye, a history and political science major from Hyattsville, MD, to Namibia; Austin Dabbs, a chemistry major from Columbia, MD, to Germany; Will Fried, a conflict analysis and dispute resolution major from Bethesda, MD, to Finland; Nicole Hammond, a biology major from Ellicott City, MD, to Germany; Sam Stevens ’18, history M.A. candidate from Chestertown, MD, to Hungary; and Gabrielle Voithofer, a biology and psychology major from California, MD, to Poland.

“This year, out of 22 applicants, almost 70 percent have moved to the next round,” said Walton. “Becoming a semi-finalist is an impressive achievement on its own, and that means each of these students is qualified for a Fulbright.”

More than 50 SU students have won national and international fellowships, scholarships and awards in the past eight years. The Chronicle of Higher Education has spotlighted SU as one of the nation’s top producers of Fulbright Students for each of the past three years.  

The Fulbright is America’s flagship international exchange program and is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

SU students or alumni who are interested in applying for national fellowships, may contact Walton for assistance. For more information, visit the Nationally Competitive Fellowships Office web page.