Fulbright scholarships awarded to UGA students

It's another banner year for UGA students as a record number have been awarded Fulbright scholarships. And counting double-majors, it was practically a clean sweep for the Franklin College:

For the past 66 years, the Fulbright Program has provided students, scholars and professionals an opportunity to pursue advanced research projects, graduate study and teaching assistantships worldwide. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, the Fulbright Program is the largest U.S. international exchange program. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program awards approximately 1,700 grants annually to U.S. undergraduate and graduate students.

"The record number of UGA Fulbright grants awarded again this year demonstrates the continued commitment of our students, faculty and staff to international education," said Maria de Rocher, campus Fulbright U.S. Student Program adviser and program coordinator in the Honors Program. "It has been a great pleasure to get to know these students, each representing such different academic interests and backgrounds, but all of whom are clearly devoted to serving as cultural ambassadors and deepening our understanding of the wider world."

Arnold, who graduated from UGA with bachelor's degrees in international affairs and Japanese, will work on a documentary about environmental activism among Buddhist nuns in South Korea. While at UGA, Arnold worked closely with professors Hyangsoon Yi and Han Park to develop a research plan and in-country contacts. After the Fulbright, he hopes to pursue a career in documentary filmmaking.

West, who graduated from UGA with a bachelor's degree in English, will research art and architectural history at the Ludwig Museum of Contemporary Art in Budapest, Hungary. Her focus will be national identity among contemporary Hungarian artists, which she hopes to document through the creation of an accessible online resource. West has accumulated experience writing about art, first as a communications intern at the Georgia Museum of Art and most recently as a freelance writer in New York City.

Comparative studies disciplines and languages dominate the offers for Fulbright awards, as they should. So many of our students are truly outward-looking, internationally focused people, and this will serve them very well in life, not to mention any job market you want to imagine. This is another of the real and actual advantages of a liberal arts education: the well-rounded person will always be in demand - these are our leaders, our visionaries, our thinkers, our influential people, our dignitaries, our prominent citizens. These are our students.