Seven Valparaiso University Alumni Receive Fulbright Awards

Seven Fulbright grants have been extended to Valparaiso University recent alumni. Through the Fulbright Program, these recipients will have the opportunity to meet, work, live with and learn from people of their host country while teaching or continuing their studies.

“We are very pleased to see the hard work and dedication of these fine young women and men recognized by the Fulbright program,” said Mark L. Biermann, Ph.D., provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. “Students receive an outstanding education at Valparaiso University, and I am confident that these bright young scholars will continue to excel and to represent us well in their future endeavors.”

In all, Valpo had 15 applicants, 12 semi-finalists, seven finalists and one alternate for Fulbright grants this year. In the past 15 years, 37 Valpo students and alumni have been named Fulbright finalists.

The 2019 Valparaiso University Fulbright finalists and alternate are:

• Nellie Bonham ’19, finalist for an English teaching assistantship in South Korea. Bonham received her bachelor’s in secondary education and English. At Valpo, she was involved with numerous student activities including Women’s Track and Field, the Summer Global Leadership Institute and honors societies for the education and English departments. She was also lead-orientation-assistant and a resident assistant. In the future, she would like to be a middle school English teacher and later obtain a degree in education administration.
• Erin Brown ’18, finalist for an English teaching assistantship in Colombia. Brown received her degree in Spanish and global service and was an initiate of the Phi Beta Kappa Society. She also completed a CAPS Fellowship at the Interfaith Committee for Detained Immigrants in Chicago and has spent the past year working with displaced Nicaraguans and English-language learners in Costa Rica.
• Lauren Clark ’19, finalist for a study/research grant in France. Clark received her bachelor’s in political science with a minor in French. She earned a first-generation student scholarship and the Presidential Scholarship. While studying abroad in France, Clark completed internships at the Center for Political Research of Sciences Po, one of the top political science and international relations programs in the world, and the Foundation for Political Innovation. Through her Fulbright grant, Clark will study at Sciences Po and plans to create a Massive Online Open Course (MOOC) on refugee integration while completing her master’s degree in European affairs. In the future, she hopes to do editing and translation for the European Union and be a musician in France.
• Nathaniel Greiwe ’18, finalist for an English teaching assistantship in Germany. Griewe received his bachelor’s in German and secondary education and was a Christ College scholar. He received the Deutsch-Amerikanischer Austauschdienst (DAAD) scholarship to study in Germany. On campus, he was a member of Phi Kappa Psi fraternity, involved in the German department’s “Kinder lernen Deutsch” program and had a campus job working in the café. He aspires to be a foreign language teacher either in German or English. In the meantime, Nathaniel and his wife, Kathleen Prahlow ’17, are living in Mexico due to her Fulbright.
• Amy Klass ’19, finalist for an English teaching assistantship in Germany. Klass received her bachelor’s degree in mathematics and secondary education, with a minor in German. Throughout her time at Valpo, she has been involved in SIS Leadership and Kappa Delta Pi. In the future, she would like to become a middle or high school math teacher.
• Jonah Koetke ’19, finalist for an English teaching assistantship in Hungary. Jonah received his bachelor’s in psychology with minors in sociology, theology and humanities while being a part of Christ College. He earned the Presidential Scholarship, Alumni Heritage Scholarship, Valpo Fund Alumni Award and J. Melvin & Lucille G. Nelson Endowed Psychology Scholar. He was heavily involved in campus activities including the Social Action Leadership Team (SALT), Peer Ministry, Candlelight Planning Team, research in psychology and the Civic Reflection Initiative. He plans to pursue a graduate degree in social psychology and work in academia or consulting.
• Kristen Morris ’19, finalist for an English teaching assistantship in Brazil. Morris received her degree in international economics and cultural affairs and Spanish with a minor in French. As a junior, she studied abroad in Costa Rica. Active in the Spanish and French clubs since arriving on campus, she has been inducted into national honor societies for both languages. Last year, Morris started a Portuguese language club at the Language Resource Center, drawing on her time and experience in Brazil as a former student with the Rotary Exchange Program.
• Moriah Carmel ’19, alternate for an English teaching assistantship in the Slovak Republic. Carmel received her bachelor’s in chemistry and music. She earned the Valparaiso University Presidential Scholarship, Valparaiso University Music Scholarship, Healthcare Foundation of LaPorte Scholarship and Unity Foundation of LaPorte Scholarship. She has been involved in undergraduate research in chemistry and biology and was a member of the Chamber Concert Band, Symphony Orchestra and Gamma Phi Beta sorority. She plans to pursue a career as a family medicine physician.

The seven Valpo finalists are among more than 1,900 U.S. citizens who will study, conduct research and teach abroad for the 2019–2020 academic year through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. Recipients of Fulbright awards are selected on the basis of academic and professional achievement as well as a record of service and leadership in their respective fields.

“Valpo students and alumni have an impressive record in securing grants through the competitive Fulbright process,” said Anna Stewart, Ph.D., assistant dean of Christ College — The Honors College and Fulbright program advisor. “These outcomes are a testament to the work of our wonderful students as well as the strength of our educational community — its commitment to academic excellence, global-mindedness and a service ethos.”

Since its inception in 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided more than 380,000 participants — chosen for their academic merit and leadership potential — with the opportunity to exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.