Six GVSU students and alumni named semifinalists for Fulbright grants

Six Grand Valley State University students and alumni have been selected as semifinalists for the 2019-20 Fulbright U.S. Student Program to teach English or conduct research overseas next year. 

The application process is a highly competitive nationwide search for the best candidates to complete either a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship (ETA) program or independent research or study programs.

The six alumni, with graduation year, hometown, major and intended teaching or research destination, are as follows:

     Bethany Mazurek, `18, Grand Rapids, Michigan; Anthropology/Chinese Studies; South Korea

     Anna Szalay, `19, Dearborn, Michigan; International Relations/Public and Nonprofit Administration; Germany

     Kellie Corbett, `19, Perrysburg, Ohio; English/French; Belgium

     Emily Heyburn, `19, Highland, Michigan; Classics/English; Greece

     Melina Frantzeskakis, `19, Canton, Michigan; Cell and Molecular Biology; South Korea

     Dallas Davis, `17, Holt, Michigan; Liberal Studies/German; Romania

Grant recipients will be selected from the pool of semifinalists.

Grand Valley also has four alumni currently serving in the English Teaching Assistant program overseas, including Christy Bectel (`17, Germany), Shannon Theis (`18, Spain), Erika Schmitt (`13, Brazil) and David Gonzalez (`17, Brazil). 

The Fulbright English Teaching Assistant program places grantees in schools overseas to supplement local English language instruction and to provide a native speaker presence in classrooms at elementary, secondary and university levels.

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program (us.fulbrightonline.org) awards funding for one academic year of self-designed study, research, internship, creative projects, or teaching English in more than 140 countries around the world. 

The 2020-21 Fulbright competition is opened April 1 and runs until the GVSU campus deadline of August 31, 2019. 

For more information, 2019 and 2020 graduates and alumni who are interested in applying for the U.S. Student Fulbright Program should contact Elizabeth Harrington Lambert, Grand Valley's Fulbright Program Adviser and director of the Office of Fellowships, at [email protected].

The Frederik Meijer Office of Fellowships supports interested Grand Valley undergraduate and graduate students and alumni in pursuing major national and international award opportunities, providing information and direct support throughout the competitive application processes. 

For more information, visit gvsu.edu/fellowships.