Haverford College Named Top Fulbright Producer

Haverford College is proud to be named one of the U.S. colleges and universities that produced the most 2021–2022 Fulbright U.S. Students. Each year the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) announces the top producing institutions for the Fulbright Program, the U.S. government's flagship international educational exchange program. This year, Haverford was named to that list. 

Four recent Haverford graduates—Rachel Brodie '19, Claire Cai '21, Ellen Schoder '19, and Tsion Syoum '21— received Fulbright awards for academic year 2021-2022. Brodie, a romance languages major who had been working as an educational consultant in China, is teaching English in Hualien, Taiwan. Cai, a German studies and economics double major, is teaching English in rural West Berlin, Germany. Schoder, a history major who had been a global writing and speaking fellow at NYU Shanghai, is now teaching English in Galicia, Spain. Syoum, an environmental studies major, is in Kampala, Uganda, at Makerere University, researching how local livelihoods around the Lake Victoria basin must be both adaptive and resilient in light of hydro-climatic disasters. Additionally, five Fords were also selected as alternates last year during the most competitive Fulbright cycle to date, with record numbers of applicants across the country.

"We had a strong cohort of applicants last year, from the originality of their grant proposals to the breadth and depth of their relevant experiences,” said Jason Chan, the fellowship and career advisor and assistant director of the Center for Career and Professional Advising (CCPA), who administers the Fulbright competition at Haverford. “They were also great storytellers; their application essays conveyed who they are and what they hoped to accomplish through a Fulbright in cohesive and compelling ways."

"Our Fulbright award winners lead the way in Haverford’s global engagement," said President Wendy Raymond. "Particularly during this world-altering COVID-19 pandemic, I am moved by the intent and purpose with which our resilient, forward-looking graduates have taken on such meaningful work." 

“We congratulate the colleges and universities we are honoring as 2021-2022 Fulbright Top Producing Institutions and are especially delighted to celebrate the institutions that achieved this distinction for the first time this year. These institutions reflect the geographic and institutional diversity of higher education in the United States, and include Minority-Serving Institutions” said Ethan Rosenzweig, deputy assistant secretary of state for academic programs in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. “We thank the leadership of these institutions for supporting their faculty advisors and administrators, who are instrumental in guiding their students through the Fulbright application process. We know that U.S. institutions benefit from having their students represent their campus overseas, which often fosters reciprocal exchanges that in turn help further internationalize U.S. campuses.”

The Fulbright Program was established over 75 years ago to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. Fulbright is the world’s largest and most diverse international educational exchange program. The primary source of funding for the Fulbright Program is an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA).  

Since its inception in 1946, over 400,000 people from all backgrounds—recent university graduates, teachers, scientists and researchers, artists, and more—have participated in the Fulbright Program and returned to their home countries with an expanded worldview, a deep appreciation for their host country and its people, and a new network of colleagues and friends. Fulbright is active in more than 160 countries worldwide and partners with participating governments, host institutions, corporations, and foundations in foreign countries and in the United States. For more information about the Fulbright Program, visit eca.state.gov/fulbright.

The application for the 2023–2024 Fulbright grant cycle will open on March 31, with an application deadline for Haverford students and alumni in early September. Students and alumni interested in applying this fall are strongly encouraged to contact Jason Chan this spring.