Kenyon College once again has been named a “top producer” of students selected for the prestigious Fulbright U.S. Student Program, continuing a remarkable run of success.
Today’s announcement from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs marks the 18th time in the past 20 years that the College has received this designation and confirms its place as a leader among liberal arts institutions in producing these international scholars.
Four Kenyon students were selected for the Fulbright program for the 2024-25 academic year, ranking it among the top 37 Baccalaureate institutions nationally. In the past decade, more than 70 Kenyon students have accepted Fulbrights.
“This recurring recognition of Kenyon as a top producer of Fulbrights testifies to the high level of academic achievement of Kenyon students,” said Provost Jeff Bowman. “Just as importantly, it reflects the eagerness of Kenyon students to represent the United States abroad and the fact that they are a very globally minded group.”
A letter to Kenyon President Julie Kornfeld announcing the news saluted the College’s work in promoting international exchange and global connections.
“Kenyon College’s designation as a Fulbright Top Producing Institution clearly demonstrates your dedication to promoting global engagement and mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries,” wrote Scott Weinhold, principal deputy assistant secretary for the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international academic exchange program. Since its inception in 1946, more than 400,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists and professionals of all backgrounds have been given the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research abroad in over 160 countries.
Student Fulbright programs are supported at Kenyon through the Office of Academic Advising and Support and the Office of National Fellowships and Scholarships. The application cycle will open on March 31 with rising seniors and alumni eligible to apply.
A virtual information session hosted by Fulbright and Kenyon will take place on April 8 at 4 p.m. Students must register to join the online session, where they will learn about the program and meet Maddie Kwasnick '24, Fulbright English teaching assistant in Colombia.
Ashita Wagh ’24, a double major in Spanish and political science from Aurora, Illinois, is another member of this year’s class of Fulbright scholars from Kenyon. She is an English teaching assistant at the Universidad Politécnica del Estado de Nayarit in western Mexico. There, she leads poetry workshops, which function like conversation clubs, and helps professors in their classes.
“It’s been an amazing experience so far,” she said. “It’s challenged me to think differently and consider different perspectives. I’ve had the opportunity to travel around Mexico, make friends in my placement city, and learn what living in a regular town in Mexico is like. Teaching has also been uniquely rewarding.”
Overall, Fulbright alumni have included 44 heads of state or government, 62 Nobel Laureates, 90 Pulitzer Prize winners, 82 MacArthur Fellows and countless others who contribute to mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.
For more information about the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, visit us.fulbrightonline.org.