15 SU Students Named Fulbright Semifinalists

SALISBURY, MD---Salisbury University has 15 semifinalists for prestigious U.S. Fulbright Student awards for the 2021-22 academic year – tied for its largest number to date.

“They are undergraduates, grad students and alumni – and all have been highly recommended by their faculty,” said Dr. Kristen Walton, director of SU’s Nationally Competitive Fellowships Office. “Some are transfer students, some are winners of other international fellowships, and many are part of our Honors College.”

Four graduates and three seniors are being considered for English Teaching Assistantships: Abiodun Adeoye ’20, a history and political science major from Hyattsville, MD, to Kyrgyzstan; Gloria Atameklo '20, a political science major from Silver Spring, MD, to Germany; John Bunke ’20, an international relations major from Silver Spring, MD, to Azerbaijan; Johannah Cooper, a social work and political science major from Jarrettsville, MD, to Paraguay; Kirstyn Dugger, a history and political science major from Gambrills, MD, to Macedonia; Julia Rohrer, an English as a second language major from Silver Spring, MD, to Panama; and Kathryn Stout ’15, an English major from Lusby, MD, to Serbia.

Six seniors and two recent graduates also are up for academic study and research awards: Zia Ashraf ’19, a political science and international relations major from Federalsburg, MD, to Finland; Abigail Boltz, a finance major from Delmar, MD, to Finland; Briana Branch, a biological sciences major from Salisbury, to England; Jack Lenox, a biological sciences major from Odenton, MD, to Finland; Thomas Long, a history major from Salisbury, to Scotland; Abigail Miano-Burkhardt, a biological sciences and psychology major from Germantown, MD, to Taiwan; Jessica Pierce, a biological sciences and psychology major from Silver Spring, MD, to Norway; and Sam Stevens ’18, M.A. ’20, a history major from Chestertown, MD, to Hungary.

Several semifinalists, including Adeoye, Boltz, Branch, Cooper, Lenox, Long, Pierce, Stevens and Stout, are members and alumni of SU’s Glenda Chatham and Robert G. Clarke Honors College.

“Becoming a semifinalist is an impressive achievement on its own, and that means each of these students is qualified for a Fulbright,” said Walton. “This year’s semifinalists are even more impressive, as most of the preparation was done remotely over Zoom, and the number of applications overall was high at 11,728 total.”

More than 60 SU students have won national and international fellowships, scholarships and awards in the past nine years. The Chronicle of Higher Education has spotlighted SU as one of the nation’s top producers of Fulbright Students for each of the past three years.

The Fulbright is America’s flagship international exchange program and is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

SU students or alumni who are interested in applying for national fellowships, may contact Walton for assistance. For more information, visit the SU National Competitive Fellowships Office website.