Seven Lawrence seniors, recent graduates named semifinalists for prestigious Fulbright awards

Seven Lawrence University students or recent graduates have advanced to the semifinalist round for a prestigious U.S. Fulbright Student Award.

The semifinalists will now wait to hear whether they will be named grantees—announcements will be made between April and June.

Eleven Lawrentians applied for a Fulbright this year, up from 10 a year ago. The seven semifinalists include:

• Senior Jonathan Bass, a double degree student in music performance (piano) and French from Greenville, Wisconsin (Fulbright-Harriet Hale Woolley Award in the Arts)
• Gunner Bauer ’23, who majored in government and Russian studies (English Teaching Assistant Award to Slovak Republic)
• Senior Linnea Morris, a Spanish major from Green Bay, Wisconsin (English Teaching Assistant Award to Mexico)
• A.J. Ulwelling ’23, who was a double major in international relations and Russian studies (English Teaching Assistant Award to Georgia)
• Miri Villerius ’23, who was a music and religious studies double major (English Teaching Assistant Award to Italy)
• Ayla Walther ’23, who is pursuing a teacher certification (English Teaching Assistant Award to Germany)
• Senior Elena Yank, an English (literature) and Spanish double major from Franklin, Wisconsin (English Teaching Assistant Award to Mexico)

Being named a Fulbright semifinalist is a big honor, said Claire Kervin, assistant professor of English and director of fellowships advising. She called the Fulbright one of the most widely recognized scholarships in the world.

"I'm so inspired by all of our candidates, who worked diligently to design proposals, write application essays, and revise their materials based on feedback from advisors and mentors,” Kervin said. “Fulbright is an extremely competitive program, and becoming a semifinalist is a significant accomplishment. The U.S. national screening committee only chooses a small percentage of applicants to become semifinalists and have their applications forwarded to the host countries for a final selection round."

Fulbright awards offer U.S. citizens the opportunity to study, teach English, or conduct research abroad for nine to 12 months.

A Fulbright fellowship covers a wide range of territory. It can support graduate study, teaching abroad, or an independent research project or artistic endeavor. Regardless of the particulars, every Fulbright is intended to support cultural exchange and create greater mutual understanding between nations.

Kervin leads a Fulbright Committee at Lawrence that interviews applicants and prepares endorsement materials.

The Fulbright Program is funded through an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations, and foundations around the world also provide direct and indirect support to the program, which operates in more than 160 countries worldwide.