Santa Clara University Produces a Record Number of Fulbright Semifinalists
SANTA CLARA, Calif., Feb. 5, 2021—In a record showing for Santa Clara University, 17 Broncos were chosen as semifinalists for the prestigious Fulbright U.S. Student program. The students and alumni will find out if they are finalists (meaning they have won a scholarship grant) between March and April of this year.
“We are immensely proud of our students for reaching this impressive academic milestone,” said Santa Clara University Provost Lisa Kloppenberg. “It is a testament to their hard work and dedication, as well as the high-impact opportunities they are offered at Santa Clara and the support, encouragement, and mentorship of dozens of faculty and staff devoted to their success.”
Thirteen of the semifinalists are seniors, and four are recent alumni.
Among the rigorous curricular and extracurricular programs in which the semifinalists participated at SCU were Study Abroad (13 students); the University Honors Program (4); Global Social Benefit Fellowship program at the Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship (3); Global Fellows program (2); REAL Program (2); and LEAD Scholars (for first-generation college students) (2). Two have been Fulbright semifinalists or alternates previously, and one is currently in Sweden on a Fulbright (having applied twice, just in case the 2020 program was delayed by COVID-19).
The students chosen as semifinalists (and where they applied to study) are:
- Armand Aibara ’21, Political Science/German major, (Germany)
- Bryan Altamirano-Gopar ’21, Economics/Anthropology (Ecuador)
- Jocelyn Chi ’21, Psychology/Marketing (Taiwan)
- Alejandra Deambrosio ’20, Political Science/Communication (Uruguay)
- David Diebold ’20, Bioengineering (Cambodia)
- Danielle Dixon ’21, Environmental Studies (Germany)
- Madeline Gile ’21, English/Communication (Bulgaria)
- Emma Hokoda ’20, Environmental Studies (Greenland)
- Sarah King ’21, Bioengineering (Cambodia)
- Grace Lin-Cereghino ’21, Public Health Science/Italian Studies (Italy)
- Ryan Nazari ’21, English/Philosophy (Armenia)
- Anjali Rangaswami ’21, Sociology (India)
- Alexandra Rivera ’21, Mechanical Engineering (Spain)
- Erin Ronald ’19,* Environmental Studies/Sociology (Sweden)
- Tess Rosenberg ’21, Anthropology (Spain)
- Alexander Varni ’21, Communication/Environmental Studies (Spain)
- Christopher Wanis ’21, Political Science/Ethnic Studies (Mexico)
*Current Fulbright, not pursuing finalist status.
To learn more about the semifinalists see information at the College of Arts and Sciences, and the School of Engineering.
About Santa Clara University
Founded in 1851, Santa Clara University sits in the heart of Silicon Valley—the world’s most innovative and entrepreneurial region. The University’s stunningly landscaped 106-acre campus is home to the historic Mission Santa Clara de Asís. Ranked among the top 15 percent of national universities by U.S. News & World Report, SCU has among the best four-year graduation rates in the nation and is rated by PayScale in the top 1 percent of universities with the highest-paid graduates. SCU has produced elite levels of Fulbright Scholars as well as four Rhodes Scholars. With undergraduate programs in arts and sciences, business, and engineering, and graduate programs in six disciplines, the curriculum blends high-tech innovation with social consciousness grounded in the tradition of Jesuit, Catholic education. For more information see www.scu.edu.
Media Contact
Deborah Lohse | SCU Media Communications | dlohse@scu.edu | 408-554-5121