• Fulbrights & Trumans & more, oh my! Baylor students build on record year for scholarships

    Collage of student scholarship award recipient photos

    Last year, Baylor set a school record when 13 Bears earned prestigious Fulbright scholarships — almost twice the previous BU record! — as part of the nation’s flagship program for international graduate student and education. The year also included a Truman Scholar (BU’s first in 15 years), a Goldwater Scholar, a Churchill Scholar, and two Critical Language Scholars.

    And yet — 2023’s student honors may be even more impressive.

    This spring, Baylor students have earned 10 Fulbright awards (plus seven more students who were named alternates and could still ultimately receive the award), another Truman Scholarship, the school’s first Hillary Rodham Clinton Award for Peace and Reconciliation, a Goldwater Scholarship (BU’s sixth straight), a Boren Award, three Critical Language Scholarships, a Marshall Scholarship, and a Churchill Scholarship.

    Here’s the (lengthy) list of honorees, along with where the honor(s) will take them:

    • Laxmisanjana Ade, a senior neuroscience major from Schaumburg, Ill. — Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Award to Colombia
    • Caroline Barnett, a senior University Scholar (concentrations in political science, ancient languages & philosophy) from Spring, Texas — Fulbright Study/Research Award to Israel, as well as the Hillary Rodham Clinton Award for Peace and Reconciliation; plans to pursue her master’s in violence, terrorism and security at Queen’s University Belfast
    • Sudili Fernando, a senior biology major from Fort Collins, Colo. — Fulbright Study/Research Award to Ireland
    • Jade Franklin, a senior international studies/Asian studies major from Honolulu — Boren Award; plans to study Japanese at Nanzan University in Japan
    • Katrina Gallegos, a master’s candidate in museum studies from Albuquerque — Critical Language Scholar; plans to study Portuguese in Brazil over the summer
    • Melissa Heald, a doctoral candidate in the DNP-Pediatric Nurse Practitioner program from Houston — Fulbright Study/Research Award to the UK (Wales)
    • Lauren Jarvis, a senior University Scholar (concentrations in political science, economics & international studies) from Boerne, Texas — Fulbright ETA to Kosovo, and Marshall Scholarship; plans to begin graduate studies in the United Kingdom
    • Lindsay Lassiter (MA ’21), a temporary lecturer in Spanish from Spokane, Wash. — Fulbright ETA to Costa Rica
    • Patrick Leech, a doctoral candidate in history from Tyler, Texas — Fulbright Study/Research Award to Hungary
    • Willie Leggett, a junior international studies/environmental studies major from Baton Rouge — Critical Language Scholar; plans to participate in CLS Spark for a summer virtual study of Chinese
    • Arvind Muruganantham, a senior cell and molecular biology major (pre-med) from Fremont, Calif. — Churchill Scholar; plans to pursue an M.Phil. in developmental biology at Churchill College, Cambridge
    • Travis Pierce (BS ’22), a biology & German graduate from Santa Barbara, Calif. — Fulbright ETA to Germany
    • Lauren Roe (BA ’21), a University Scholar, BIC & Honors Program graduate from Flagstaff, Ariz. — Fulbright ETA to Czech Republic
    • Tyler Rossow, a senior Baylor Business Fellow (majoring in economics, political science & philosophy) from Tulsa, Okla. — Fulbright ETA to Vietnam
    • Alagu Subramanian, a senior University Scholar (concentrations in biology & medical humanities) from San Ramon, Calif. — Goldwater Scholar; plans to pursue an M.D./Ph.D. in translational oncology
    • Kaitlyn Vana, a senior mathematics and Slavic/East European studies major from Celina, Texas — Critical Language Scholar and Truman Scholar; plans to pursue graduate studies in Russian, East European and Eurasian studies, and in global policy studies
    • Emma Wrona, a senior University Scholar and international studies major from Fort Collins, Colo. — Boren Award; plans to study Turkish at the Turkish Flagship Language Initiative in Azerbaijan

    “Once again, our students have shown that a Baylor education is preparation for worldwide leadership and service of the highest order,” says Dr. Andrew Hogue (MA ’05, PhD ’09), associate dean for engaged learning at Baylor. “More than a recognition, these awards represent for our students the opportunity of a lifetime — for study and research at the highest levels, for diplomacy and cultural exchange in communities around the world, and for leadership experiences that will bring encounters with human need and opportunities to promote human flourishing.”

    Sic ’em, Bears!

    You might also like:
    * Years later, Baylor grads share where Fulbright, Truman & other scholarships have taken them (Feb. 2023)
    * U.S. Dept. of State honors Baylor as a ‘Fulbright Top Producing Institution’ (March 2023)