2015-2016 Arhu Fulbright Recipients

Stay tuned for continuous updates on the ARHU Fulbright awardees.

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program enables qualified undergraduates, graduate students and recent alumni to design their own study or research plans or to teach English in more than 155 countries. It provides unique opportunities for international experience, personal enrichment and an open exchange of ideas with citizens of other nations. For more information on the Fulbright program, visit us.fulbrightonline.org or contact UMD's National Scholarships Office at fulbright@umd.edu.

PLEASE NOTE: Announcements are made on a rolling deadline as the various host countries make their decisions. We will keep this list as current as possible as additional winners are announced.

ARHU Recipients

Laura Brady, a 2014 graduate with majors in Art History and Germanic Studies 

Laura Brady has been awarded a 2015-16 Fulbright teaching Assistantship in Germany. In addition to her teaching duties, Brady plans to volunteer at a local art organization to assist with education, public outreach, or translation. She also hopes to organize field trips to art museums and galleries for students who may not otherwise have access to these cultural centers.

After studying at Leuphana University in Lüneburg during the fall 2013 semester and participating in a language partner program, Brady fell in love with the German language and discovered her passion for language-learning. During her semester in Germany, Brady visited art museums where she had the opportunity to see works she had only known from reproductions. This experience gave her a deeper understanding of German art and culture and prepared her for an internship at the National Portrait Gallery’s Department of Education.

After returning from her Fulbright grant period in Germany, Brady plans to enter a graduate program with the ultimate goal of becoming a German language professor. 

Lindsey Benjamin, Psychology and double minoring in Spanish and Neuroscience

Lindsey Benjamen has been awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Spain for the 2015-16 academic year. In addition to teaching, she plans to volunteer with an organization that provides services to adolescents struggling emotionally and socially. Benjamin is an alumna of the Global Communities program and was selected as a 2014-15 Merrill Presidential Scholar.

Through the support of the Spanish department, Benjamin had the opportunity to participate in a language immersion program in Seville during the spring semester of her junior year. While strugglng at first to communicate and connect with her host family due to a lack of confidence in her Spanish, by the end of the four months, she could delve into eye-opening conversations with them about religion and politics. During that semester in Seville, she developed a love for the Spanish people, language and culture and promised she would find a way to return to Spain. The Fulbright Teaching Assistantship program allows her to fuse her passion for Spanish culture with her passion for urban education. She said she is incredibly excited for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Benjamin's Fulbright year will build on her educational and extra-curricular experiences. For the spring 2014 semester, she studied in Seville, taking advanced language and culture courses. For two summers she taught writing in Philadelphia for the Breakthrough Collaborative, a national non-profit that hires undergraduates to teach high potential, underserved students. She is now interning with the District of Columbia Public School system.

Upon her return to the U.S., Benjamin will explore master's programs as well as alternative teacher preparation programs for a career as a school counselor or teacher working with underserved adolescent student populations in urban areas.

Emily Cheung, Chinese and psychology major

Emily Cheung, a senior majoring in Chinese and psychology, has been awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Taiwan for the 2015-16 academic year. Cheung is also a member of the Gemstone Program of the University Honors College, has served as a guided study session leader for PSYC100 and performs with Mockappella, a comedic a capella group at the university. Cheung was a 2014-15 Merrill Scholar for ARHU, and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. She is also the recipient of a Critical Language Scholarship for intensive study of Chinese this summer 2015.

While teaching English in Taiwan, Cheung plans to become involved in the local musical community music by singing in choirs. She also plans to study traditional Taiwanese folk songs as a way to better understand Taiwanese culture. After completing her Fulbright year in Taiwan, Cheung plans on pursuing a master’s degree in either education or child development, with a focus on language development. She hopes to work with children professionally, as a mentor or teacher, developing and implementing programs to assist language learning.

Brittany Lashley, Chinese and literature major

Brittany Lashley, a senior majoring in Chinese Language and literature, has been awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Taiwan for the 2015-16 academic year. Lashley has been active as a peer mentor in the Education Abroad office and participated in two alternative spring break programs with educational themes during her time at the university. She was the recipient of a Freeman-Asia Scholarship for study in China in 2012-13.

While in Taiwan Lashley plans to build on her extensive background working with a performing arts camp for youth by volunteering in school-based theatrical productions. She also plans to use theatrical skits to help students gain and practice English language skills. Her ultimate goal is to help develop media-based language learning tools for a global educational services company.

Sarah Sexton, Journalism major and a Germanic Studies minor

Sarah Sexton has been awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Germany for the 2015-16 academic year.  Sexton is also a member of the University Honors Program.

After living Germany for 11 years, Sexton developed a personal connection to the country, its culture and language. During her time as a University of Maryland undergraduate, she pursued summer internships in Germany to revisit her childhood home. Sexton volunteered as a teaching assistant at the Frankfurt International School – Wiesbaden Campus in 2012 and interned at the U.S. Embassy in Berlin in 2013. While on campus, Sexton enrolled in courses as a Germanic Studies minor to improve her German language skills and strengthen her understanding of the culture. Those courses offered Sexton the opportunity to use German in daily conversation with her peers and delve into the country's history and art.

Sexton plans to draw from her experience in multiplatform Journalism—skills in video, photography and other visual tools—to engage students in learning English during her time in Germany. Having sung with a university a cappella group for three years, she plans to assist with or start a school choir and help find opportunities for the students to perform.

Sextom hopes to apply the skills and knowledge she gained from her Germanic Studies minor to her experience as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant. After her Fulbright year, Sexton plans to pursue a career teaching English in Germany or working for the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs.