We are pleased to announce that three BYU graduates have received Fulbright awards. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, the Fulbright U.S. Student Program offers recent graduates and graduate students opportunities for research, study, and English teaching in over 140 countries with the goal of promoting international goodwill.
This year’s recipients are as follows:
- Curtis Hoffmann: Thailand Open Study/Research Award
- Emily Scanlan: South Pacific Island Nations Open Study/Research Award
- McClay Sommers: Uzbekistan English Teaching Award
For Sommers, the Fulbright program appealed to him because of his interest in international education and living abroad. He explains, “I focused on Uzbekistan because of my Russian language background, my interest in Central Asia as a crossroads of major cultures, and my prior experience in Kazakhstan.”
Scanlan will be doing field work and research in Samoa; she says, "I've always dreamt of connecting more fully with my Samoan heritage and roots so it really was a no-brainer for me to choose to Samoa for my Fulbright. The Fulbright opened an opportunity for me to apply my experience to a place and subject matter important to me that will continue to open more doors in my career path."
Hoffmann’s interest in doing research in Thailand stemmed from that country’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Thailand mobilized systems for early detection and rapid response and brought the initial wave of the outbreak under control, dropping to only a handful of cases within months,” he says. “I believe that as U.S. citizens, we have much to learn from Thailand's public health infrastructure and social fabric.”
The Fulbright U.S. Student Program differs from many scholarship programs in that students are eligible to apply from the time they earn their undergraduate degree until they’ve earned a PhD. Hoffmann and Scanlan are both is benefiting from this flexibility, as they both earned their undergraduate degrees a few years ago. Hoffman applied for the highly competitive Fulbright program three times before being accepted and attributes his success to the help of Amy McLaughlin of BYU’s National Scholarships and Prestigious Fellowships office. “She has supported me since 2022 as a mentor, advisor, cheerleader, and friend,” he says. “She is a joy to work with, and she believes very strongly in the mission of BYU.”
For Sommers, who will be teaching English at an assigned institution in Uzbekistan, the Fulbright is a useful stepping stone for his future career goals. “My plans involve working for NGOs abroad (likely in Russian- or Spanish-speaking countries) that are invested in improving international education and development, and the Fulbright is a natural fit,” he says. As he prepares to move to Uzbekistan, he says, “I am most looking forward to seeing the Silk Road architecture, immersing myself in the language, and meeting my students.”
For Scanlan, the field work "is really exciting to me and something I know will be both a big personal and professional stretching experience. Outside of my research, I look forward to completely immersing myself in the culture and hope to come home with some new hobbies like surfing or sailing."
And to any students who are interested in the Fulbright program, Hoffmann says, “Because of missionary service, many BYU students carry with them a fiery passion for service combined with tacit knowledge about cultural fluency. Some have dedicated a significant portion of their lives living in communities far from home and have realized the joy of cross-cultural dialogue. That duality, in my opinion, is precisely what the Fulbright, Boren, and other national scholarships are looking to advance. The stuff they're looking for? Most of you already have it. It just takes a mentor or two to carve it out with you.”
Want to learn more about the Fulbright program and how to get started applying? Click here.