Eleven University of Iowa students and alumni have been awarded Fulbright U.S. Student Program grants to conduct research, attend graduate school, undertake creative projects, or serve as English teaching assistants abroad in 2018–19.

Thirty-five UI students applied this year.

The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government. It is designed to increase understanding between the people of the United States and other countries by providing participants the opportunity to study, teach, conduct research, and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.

In 2017–18, the UI was named a top producer of Fulbright students for the third consecutive year, with 16 students and alumni receiving grants, a record for the university.

Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields.

This year’s recipients include:

Rachel Maggi, of Kohler, Wisconsin, is expected to graduate from the UI in 2018 with a BA in international studies (South Asian and East Asian studies), a minor in global health studies, and a certificate in sustainability. With her Fulbright Study/Research in Public Health, Maggi will conduct interview-based research to investigate breast and cervical cancer knowledge and perceptions in the state of Karnataka, India.

Rita Guzmán, of Decorah, Iowa, is expected to graduate from the UI in 2018 with a BBA in marketing, a minor in Portuguese, and a certificate in international business. With her Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Award to Portugal, Guzmán will teach English to students in higher education through presentations on American studies and advise those interested in study and work opportunities in the United States.

Christopher Orabutt, of Lake Zurich, Illinois, graduated from the UI in December 2017 with a BA in secondary history education. With his Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Award to South Korea, Orabutt will teach English to secondary students. He also will engage students in discussions of social studies through the use of American and South Korean music and pop culture.

Martin Wolgen, of Alton, Iowa, graduated from the UI in 2017 with a BA in history and minors in religious studies and anthropology. With his Fulbright Study/Research Award to Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Wolgen will study the growth and decline of Protestantism in the Netherlands in the 20th century.

Barbara Chidinma Okeke, of Washington, D.C., is expected to graduate from the UI in 2018 with a PhD in human toxicology. With her Fulbright Study/Research Award in Public Health, Okeke will investigate water quality in various rural and urban communities in Transylvania, Romania. Okeke will use her experience as the state director for a social justice-based organization, Zeta Phi Beta, in her plan to volunteer with Everychild, a program that provides arts and science programming for Romanian youth.

Emma Genesen, of Rancho Mirage, California, graduated from the UI in 2017 with a BA in theater arts, health science, interdepartmental studies, and a certificate in creative writing. With her Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Taiwan, Genesen will teach elementary students and hopes to found a community children’s theater that is deliberately inclusive of children with disabilities. She hopes to bring her experiences back to the U.S. to help improve sensitivity training for hospital staff who treat patients for whom English is a second language.

Lucy Patterson, of Cincinnati, Ohio, is expected to graduate from the UI in 2018 with a BA in French, a minor in German, and a certificate in international business. With her Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Award to Germany, Patterson will teach English and American studies at the pre-university level. She plans to partner with a UI German professor to create a German book club for university students.

Grace Coleman, of Madison, Wisconsin, graduated from the UI in 2017 with a BA in international studies and music. With her Fulbright Teaching Assistant Award to the Czech Republic, Coleman will teach English to high school students in a music conservatory in the Ústí nad Labem Region. She will incorporate her instrumental background as a cellist into coaching small chamber groups and serving as the school orchestra librarian.  

Thomas Bowman, of Des Moines, Iowa, is expected to graduate from the UI in 2018 with a BS in international relations (transnational issues track), and minors in political science, international studies, and Spanish. With his Fulbright Teaching Assistant Award to Bulgaria, Bowman will teach in public secondary school and is interested in exploring local perspectives of Bulgarian political culture and governmental efforts to address transnational issues such as immigration and crime.

Anya Kim, of Indianola, Iowa, is expected to graduate from the UI in 2018 with a BS in biology (neurobiology track), a BA in Spanish, and a clinical and translational science certificate. With her Fulbright Study/Research Award in Medical Sciences to Spain, Kim will work with a neurochemistry group in Barcelona in order to investigate how the activity of the immune cells of the brain can affect amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.

Brian Miner, of Davenport, Iowa, is expected to graduate from the UI in 2018 with a BA in history. With his Fulbright English Teaching Award to Indonesia, Minor will teach English in a high school while engaging with the community through badminton and cooking clubs. 

In addition, eight semifinalists from the University of Iowa were named as alternates for 2018–19:

• Claire Boettcher
• Iracema Drew
• Cindy Garcia
• Carolyn Hoemann
• Claire Jacobson
• Grace Ridnour
• Andrew Smyth
• Nathaniel Weger