This academic year, six recent Michigan State University College of Arts & Letters graduates are studying and working abroad as recipients of Fulbright U.S. Student Program grants.

These six Fulbright recipients were selected for the 2022-2023 grants among more than 9,300 applications, according to the Institute of International Education. A total of 10 Michigan State University students and recent graduates received 2022-2023 Fulbright U.S. Student Program grants, with the majority of those recipients coming from MSU’s College of Arts & Letters.

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program expands perspectives through academic and professional advancement and cross-cultural dialogue, creating connections in a complex and changing world. Grantees pursue graduate study, conduct research, and/or teach abroad.

The College of Arts & Letters graduates who received Fulbright grants for the 2022-2023 academic year include:

• Nicolei Buendia Gupit, MFA in Art, Art History, and Design, who is doing a transdisciplinary project on the human toll of climate change in the Philippines.
• Kaylah Jetton, B.A. in Global Studies in the Arts and Humanities, has an English teaching assistantship in Laos.
• Emily Keller, B.A. in Spanish and Secondary Education, has an English teaching assistantship in Spain.
• Kaylee McCarthy, B.A. in Art History and Visual Culture, B.A. in German, and B.A. in Arts and Humanities, has an English teaching assistantship in Austria.
• Mariam Sayed, B.A. in French, College of Arts & Letters, and B.S. in Physiology, College of Natural Science, has an English teaching assistantship in Marrakech, Morocco.
• Zachary Sneed, B.A. in Linguistics, is pursuing an MBA at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Beersheba, Israel.

Also, Emily McHarg, B.A. in International Relations, James Madison College, who minored in German and Women’s Studies in the College of Arts & Letters, has an English teaching assistantship in Bonn, Germany.

“The breadth of interests represented in this year’s finalists and alternates prove that no matter your home college or academic discipline or level of study, every Spartan can be a Global Spartan,” said Joy Campbell, Fulbright Program Advisor at MSU. “MSU offers students the opportunity to see their studies through a global filter. We are so proud of these students who have embraced that opportunity as they start incredible work in all corners of the world.

The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program, providing opportunities in all academic disciplines to graduating college seniors, graduate students, and young professionals from all backgrounds. The program is supported by the United States in partnership with more than 140 countries around the world.

“MSU offers students the opportunity to see their studies through a global filter. We are so proud of these students who have embraced that opportunity as they start incredible work in all corners of the world.”

Joy Campbell, Fulbright Program Advisor at MSU

During their grants, Fulbright participants meet, work, live with, and learn from the people of the host country, sharing daily experiences. Through this direct interaction in the classroom, field, home, and in routine tasks, grantees gain an appreciation of others’ viewpoints and beliefs, the way they do things, and the way they think. This interaction, in an atmosphere of openness, academic integrity, and intellectual freedom, helps promote mutual understanding.

Since 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided more than 400,000 participants from more than 160 countries the opportunity to study, teach, conduct research, exchange ideas, and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns. Recipients are selected in an open, merit-based competition that considers leadership potential, academic and/or professional achievement, and record of service. 

The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) administers the Program under policy guidelines established by the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board (FFSB) in close coordination with binational commissions and foundations in 49 countries, U.S. embassies in more than 100 other countries, and cooperating agencies in the United States.

At Michigan State University, the Fulbright U.S. Student Program is administered through International Studies and Programs. For more information, visit the Fulbright Programs page on the International Studies and Programs website.