Eight UC Davis students and alums were awarded prestigious Fulbright grants by the Fulbright U.S. Program. These students are traveling abroad in the 2023-2024 academic year to serve as English Teaching Assistants or international researchers. Their service and research spans four continents: Asia (Taiwan), Africa (Ghana), Europe (Sweden, Spain, Greece), and South America (Argentina). Fulbright grantees receive roundtrip airfare, limited health insurance, and a monthly stipend for up to one academic year.

Our eight outstanding Aggies are:

• Colette Curran – Argentina
• Elise Reynolds – Ghana
• Naomi Murray – Sweden
• Savannah Ealy – Taiwan
• Rivka Keith – Spain
• Kevin Palacios – Spain
• Sarah Mayo – Greece
• Moriah Shih – Taiwan

Once in their host country, five UC Davis student recipients will spend upwards of a year serving as English teaching assistants in local schools, and three will conduct independently driven research aimed at benefitting the international community. 

Each of these students was successful in passing a highly rigorous selection process. Fulbright will sponsor them and a cohort of about 2200 students nationwide to fulfill their international work. 

Spotlighting our Aggie Fulbrighters

Collete Curran – Open Study/Research Award, Argentina

Collete will spend her Fulbright fellowship conducting research and helping design sustainable and ecologically oriented architecture in Argentina. Already having significant experience in the field, she hopes that her major in landscape architecture and established knowledge will enable her to create public works that meet the needs of busy people today while also respecting nature and indigenous peoples’ historic presence in the area.  After her Fulbright, Curran hopes to return to her home state of California and continue designing sustainable architecture for local ecosystems in need, such as wetlands and grasslands, and become a professor in agroecological designs. 

Elise Reynolds – Open Study/Research Award, Ghana

Elise’s Fulbright research will take her to Ghana, where she will research the diets of schoolchildren and identify where there may be gaps in essential nutrients. Elise plans to use her degree in health behavior and health education to interview kids, record their statements in photovoice workshops, and prepare meal plans that will contribute to the sustained and healthy growth of Ghana’s youth. Afterward, she plans to return to the US to finish her Ph.D. in nutritional biology. Elise hopes to continue her nutrition-oriented endeavors by working with the US government, the United Nations, or another related non-governmental organization that provides aid to those in need.

Naomi Murray – Open Study/Research Award, Sweden

Naomi will travel to Sweden to research the impact of and the solution to a destructive weevil population decimating local forests. Having a degree in forestry, Murray has already hypothesized that the damage caused by pine weevils might be reduced if the special “warning” chemical released by infested trees could be synthesized and applied over the entire forest, thus bolstering the trees’ defensive capabilities prior to infection. This international research will not be her first experience as she previously studied abroad as a recipient of the prestigious Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Marshall Scholarship. Naomi plans to return to America upon completing her Fulbright to obtain a Ph.D. in ecology with an emphasis on ecological resilience and sustainability.

Kevin Palacios – English Teaching Assistantship, Spain

Kevin will use his Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship (ETA) fellowship to travel to Spain and teach English, specifically to underprivileged Spanish youth. Kevin sincerely hopes that, with his Spanish-oriented upbringing, he can connect very personally with students and provide them with an extraordinary opportunity to learn English and excel in their own unique ways. Upon completing his Fulbright, Kevin plans to apply for graduate school for either International Relations or Law, where he will use his knowledge and experiences to assist in the advancement of marginalized people both in the US and the world at large. 

Sarah Mayo – Fulbright/HAEF English Teaching Assistant Award, Greece

Sarah will use her Fulbright ETA fellowship to teach English to Greek youth and educate them in the world of poetry, fiction, theater, and other artistic mediums. In doing so, she hopes kids will learn English for more than just its professional advantages, including its artistic, creative, and beautiful qualities. Much of what inspired Sarah to apply for the Fulbright program was her family’s Greek background and her enthusiasm for Greek classics – which she first read in English. After interacting with youth in Greece for the duration of her Fulbright, she plans to apply for a Ph.D. in English literature and write on all things Greece.

Rivka Keith – English Teaching Assistant Award, Spain

Rivka’s Fulbright ETA will take her to Spain, where she will help teach English to Spanish youth. Having already participated in other English-teaching programs at home and abroad and obtained a degree in Psychology, she seeks to simultaneously help children learn English while also enhancing her teaching ability. Upon returning to the US, Keith aspires to continue her teaching career and use her Fulbright experience in Spain to further connect with youth and students who are English second-language learners. 

Savannah Ealy – English Teaching Assistant Award, Taiwan

Savannah will use her Fulbright fellowship to travel to Taiwan and teach English to a range of K-12 students. Having a strong passion for teaching, a degree in world languages and literature, and a fluency in Mandarin, she hopes that her ETA in Taiwan will help locals better understand English while also exposing them to a particularly unique aspect of American culture. Afterward, Savannah hopes her Fulbright experience will lead her toward a successful career as a Mandarin-English translator.    

Moriah Shih – English Teaching Assistance Award, Taiwan

Moriah will use her Fulbright ETA fellowship to help Taiwanese youth speak English fluently. Raised in a multilingual house that spoke Taiwanese, Mandarin, and English, as well as previously studying in Taiwan as a recipient of a Critical Language Scholarship in 2022, Moriah hopes her personal connection to the language and Taiwanese culture will help the students she teaches better learn English and expose them to how American culture has shaped her own unique Taiwanese identity. After her time with Fulbright, Moriah plans to attend medical school and provide health services as a doctor to the Chinese-speaking population of San Francisco. 

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• If you would like to know more about the Fulbright program, opportunities that are available to students, and how to apply, please visit the UC Davis Fulbright website.