Valparaiso University Senior and Alumna Receive Fulbright Awards

May 12, 2021 – Valparaiso, Indiana – Two Fulbright grants have been extended to a Valparaiso University student and recent alumna. 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 thrilled each year to see the hard work and dedication of our students and alumni recognized by the Fulbright Program,” said Eric W. Johnson ’87, Ph.D., provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. “Valparaiso University students receive an outstanding education that prepares them for fruitful and meaningful lives, and I am confident these promising scholars will continue to excel and represent us well through their future achievements.”

In all, Valpo has four semi-finalists and two finalists for Fulbright grants this year. In the past 17 years, 44 Valpo students and alumni have been named Fulbright finalists.

The 2021 Valparaiso University Fulbright finalists are:

• Anna Corner ’20, finalist for an English teaching assistantship in France. Corner received her bachelor’s in French and international economics and cultural affairs. At Valpo, she was a member of Chi Omega, dance ensemble, French club, a Study Abroad ambassador, a CAPS fellow, and studied abroad in Nantes, France.
• Jacob Scarbrough ’21, finalist for an English teaching assistantship in Germany. Scarbrough will receive his bachelor’s in German with a minor in English. At Valpo, he was a member of German club, Alliance, and Kinder Lernen Deutsch and was a resident assistant.

The two Valpo finalists are among many U.S. citizens who earned opportunities to study, conduct research and teach abroad 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.

“The Fulbright Program will allow me to immerse myself in a language and culture different from my own and participate in language exchange in a new community,” Corner said. “The Fulbright English teaching assistantship in France emphasizes language exchange in underserved and low-income school districts. I believe that language learning has a powerful way of creating doors and opportunity for people, so I wanted to be a part of that.”

Since its inception in 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided more than 370,000 participants — chosen for their academic merit and leadership potential — with the opportunity to exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.