(clockwise from top left: Hannah Banks, Derek Collins, Nathan Terrell, Liz Peterson, Mary Beth Mullican)

Six WKU graduates have been designated alternates in the 2022-23 Fulbright U.S. Student Program competition. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program funds an academic year of research, study, or English teaching for approximately 2200 grantees annually in more than 140 countries worldwide.

The six are among nine semi-finalists chosen from WKU’s nineteen total applicants. “It’s not the news we were all hoping for, but it’s not all bad news, either,” said Melinda Grimsley, who advises WKU’s applicants for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. “‘Alternate’ means that selection committees decided an applicant was fully qualified to do the project they proposed to do while carrying the responsibility of representing the United States abroad. I’ve heard it said that an alternate is an award without funding, and that’s correct.” Alternates can be promoted to recipients if additional funding becomes available before the beginning of grant periods later this year.

The six alternates are:

• Hannah Banks, a 2020 graduate in anthropology, applied for a Fulbright award to fund a master’s degree in global health, studying patient experiences of chronic illness at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.
• Derek Collins, a 2021 graduate in political science, applied for a Fulbright award to fund a master’s degree in political theory, studying the weaponization of victimhood in populist political movements at the University of York.
• Katie Mann, a 2021 graduate in elementary education, applied for a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in Taiwan.
• Mary Beth Mullican, a 2022 graduate in public relations and international affairs, applied for a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in the Czech Republic. 
• Liz Peterson, a 2021 graduate in international affairs and political science, applied for a Fulbright award to fund a master’s degree in international studies, studying religion and identity in peacebuilding at the University of Salamanca.
• Nathan Terrell, a 2022 graduate in political science and economics, applied for a Fulbright award to fund a master’s degree in public policy, studying Irish judges’ perceptions in family litigation at Dublin City University.

Applications for the 2023-24 grant year are currently open. Recent alumni and students expecting to graduate in December 2022 or May 2023 should contact Dr. Grimsley, WKU’s Fulbright Program Advisor, to discuss application possibilities and process.

About the Fulbright Program: The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to forge lasting connections between the people of the United States and the people of other countries, counter misunderstandings, and help people and nations work together toward common goals. Since its establishment in 1946, the Fulbright Program has enabled more than 390,000 dedicated and accomplished students, scholars, artists, teachers, and professionals of all backgrounds to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas, and find solutions to shared international concerns. The Fulbright Program, which operates in more than 160 countries worldwide, is funded through an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State.

About the Office of Scholar Development: The Office of Scholar Development is committed to helping WKU students in all majors and degree programs develop the vision, experience and skills to be independent, engaged scholars. OSD welcomes the opportunity to work with students interested in nationally competitive scholarships.

Contact: Melinda Grimsley, melinda.grimsley@wku.edu