The University of Michigan and the International Institute are proud to announce that we are once again a Top Producer of Fulbright U.S. Student and Scholar finalists. Congratulations to the 28 students and 12 scholars who received Fulbright awards in 2020-21!

The Fulbright Student competition is administered at the International Institute and supported by several dedicated advisors as well U-M faculty who guide students through the application process. U-M consistently ranks highly among its peer institutions, and is the top-ranked public university for producing Fulbright finalists this year.

"It is heartening that U-M students are continuing to represent our university well in the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, both in numbers and the quality of their work, especially under such trying circumstances," says Heather Johnson, who has served as the U-M Fulbright Program Advisor for 11 years. "The cooperative ties that U-M Fulbright grantees are forging around the world are particularly meaningful in light of the shared challenges of COVID-19, and the support offered from all quarters at U-M is testament to its commitment to the Fulbright goal."

The full list of Fulbright U.S. Student grantees is below, and additional information about the 2020-21 grantees can be found at Global Michigan. For more information about Fulbright and how to apply, visit the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program and Fulbright U.S. Student Program pages on our website.

2020-21 Fulbright U.S. Student Program Finalists

(Name, award type, country)

Lauren Beck, Study-Research, Germany

Dominic Bednar, Study-Research, Chile

Grace Betts, Fulbright/Cardiff University Award, United Kingdom

Megan Bloem, English Teaching Assistantship, Portugal

Kaisha Brezina, English Teaching Assistantship, Malaysia

Amelia Burke, Study-Research, Morocco

Freddy Cisneros, Study-Research, France

Alexandra Creola, Study-Research, Italy

Jeremy D'Silva, Study-Research, United Kingdom

Matthew DeMaio, English Teaching Assistantship, Italy

Erich Eberhard, Study-Research, Indonesia

Zofia Ferki, English Teaching Assistantship, Germany

Elisabeth Fertig, Study-Research, Austria

Kyle Follo, English Teaching Assistantship, Germany

Colleen Grogan, English Teaching Assistantship, Romania

Amanda Kaminsky, Study-Research, Kenya

Ayah Kutmah, English Teaching Assistantship, Palestinian Territories (West Bank)

Karel Lill, Study-Research, Czech Republic

Zoe Ortis, Study-Research, Italy

Katelyn Powers, Study-Research, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Brittany Puller, Fulbright-Nehru Open Study/Research Award, India

Peter Rohrer, Study-Research, Norway

Sierra Stephens, English Teaching Assistantship, Spain

Michael Thompson-Brusstar, Study-Research, China

Annika Topelian, English Teaching Assistantship, Armenia

Ozi Uduma, Study-Research, Ghana

Olivia Vitton, English Teaching Assistantship, Germany

Rachele Willard, Study-Research, Italy

The Fulbright Program was created to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. The primary source of funding for the Fulbright Program is an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Over 2,200 U.S. Students and over 900 U.S. college and university faculty and administrators are awarded Fulbright grants annually. In addition, some 4,000 Fulbright Foreign Students and Visiting Scholars come to the United States annually to study, lecture, conduct research, or teach their native language.

Since its inception in 1946, the Fulbright Program has given over 390,000 passionate and accomplished students, scholars, teachers, artists, and professionals of all backgrounds and fields the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas, and contribute to finding solutions to important international problems. The global network of Fulbrighters fosters mutual understanding between the United States and partner nations, advances knowledge across communities, and improves lives around the globe.