Nine Honors Students, Recent Alums Named Fulbright Semifinalists
Nine Virginia Commonwealth University Honors College students and recent alumni have been named semifinalists for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program for the 2023-2024 academic year.
These candidates will advance to the final round of evaluation and will be notified of their selection status on a rolling basis from March through May.
The Fulbright Program is sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. The program operates in over 160 countries worldwide. More than 2,000 grants are given to graduating seniors, recent alumni and graduate students to conduct research, carry out creative projects, pursue a year of postgraduate study or teach English abroad.
The Honors College Fulbright semifinalists are listed below with their name, host country and grant type:
Current Students:
- Muhammad Babar, a member of the Honors College who will graduate in May with a bachelor’s in chemistry from the College of Humanities and Sciences, applied to Uzbekistan for an English Teaching Assistant award.
- MiJin Cho, a member of the Honors College who will graduate in May with a bachelor’s in English from the College of Humanities and Sciences, applied to Australia for a Study/Research award in public health.
- Ishaan Nandwani, a member of the Honors College who will graduate in May with dual degrees in biology and Spanish from the College of Humanities and Sciences, applied to Colombia for an English Teaching Assistant Award.
- Vineeth Vaidyula, a member of the Honors College who will graduate in May with a bachelor’s degree in biology from the College of Humanities and Sciences, applied to India for a Study/Research award in medical sciences.
- Brandon Velasco, a member of the Honors College who will graduate in May with a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from the College of Humanities and Sciences, applied to the Philippines for a Study/Research award in public health.
- Julia Weichlein, a member of the Honors College who will graduate in May with a bachelor’s degree in art history from the School of the Arts, applied to Austria for a Study/Research award in art history.
Alumni:
- Xavier Moore, an alumnus of the Honors College who received dual bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and biology from the College of Humanities and Sciences in 2021, applied to Belgium for a Study/Research award in biology.
- Leslie Pyo, an alumna of the Honors College who received a bachelor’s degree in painting and printmaking from the School of the Arts in 2016, applied to South Korea for a Study/Research award in creative writing.
- Samara Shabon, an alumna of the Honors College who received dual degrees in philosophy from the College of Humanities and Sciences and bioinformatics from VCU Life Sciences in 2022, applied to Turkey for an English Teaching Assistant Award.
VCU’s National Scholarship Office (NSO), which is housed in the Honors College,assists students and recent alumni with the application process for the Fulbright Program and other esteemed awards. To learn more about external funding opportunities, schedule an appointment with a member of the NSO staff.