Current City: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Undergraduate Institution: California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Fulbright U.S. Student Fellow in Sociology - Honduras, 2009-2010
Email: RAlaniz.AlumniAmbassador@fulbrightmail.org

In Honduras, Ryan Alaniz worked with the Fundacion Cristo del Picacho and the Red Cross to investigate the long-term development of seven post-disaster communities built for survivors of 1998 Hurricane Mitch. Ryan also collaborated with local communities to organize soccer tournaments and service projects. Currently, Ryan is a Ph.D. candidate in sociology at the University of Minnesota. He continues to work on development projects in Honduras, El Salvador, and Haiti.

Current City: Dallas, Texas
Undergraduate Institution: Howard University
Fulbright English Teaching Assistant - Thailand, 2007-2008
Email: ABacon.AlumniAmbassador@fulbrightmail.org

In Thailand, Angela Bacon served as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant instructing high school students in Chiang Mai, Thailand, while also participating in a number of local and regional events including: English camps in Northern and Central Thailand, U.S. Embassy presentations, and local school extracurricular activities. Upon returning to the United States, Angela earned a Master’s degree in the humanities from the University of Chicago. She is now preparing for further graduate study at Rutgers University, where she will attend the School of Communication and Information and focus on archival administration and digital libraries.

Current City: Millmont, Pennsylvania
Undergraduate Institution: U.S. Military Academy at West Point
Fulbright U.S. Student Fellow in Engineering – Netherlands, 2008-2009
Email: Nate.AlumniAmbassador@fulbrightmail.org

In the Netherlands, Nathaniel Drew Bastian completed a Master of Science degree in econometrics and operations research within the Department of Quantitative Economics in the School of Business and Economics at Maastricht University. For his Fulbright research, Nathan employed operations research techniques to develop a stochastic, multiple criteria decision-support model and three-dimensional shortest-helicopter path algorithm to optimize the U.S. military's aeromedical evacuation system in Afghanistan. After his grant, Nathan earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in industrial engineering and operations research from the Pennsylvania State University as part of the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship program.
 
Nathan is currently an active-duty military officer serving as an Operations Research and Systems Analyst in the U.S. Army Medical Department. He is a leader, practitioner, researcher, and educator of quantitative, economic, computational, and data-driven methods to support the improvement of operational processes, decision-making, performance, and management in healthcare delivery, service systems, national security, military operations, supply chains, and logistics. As an experienced data scientist, decision engineer, operations researcher, and systems analyst, Nathan discovers and translates data-driven insights and patterns into effective decisions and actions by developing mathematical, statistical, and economic decision-support models for descriptive, predictive and prescriptive data analytics.

Current City: Cambridge, Massachusetts
Undergraduate Institution: Boston University
Fulbright U.S. Student Fellow in Economics - Israel, 2008-2009
Email: HBavli.AlumniAmbassador@fulbrightmail.org

In Israel, Hillel Bavli carried out game theory research at the Center for the Study of Rationality, a game theory institute in Jerusalem. Hillel’s Fulbright research examined the game theoretic foundations underlying certain time discounting patterns and behavior under conditions of uncertainty. This research has since been used for a paper written under the advice of mathematician and 2005 Nobel Laureate in Economics, Robert Aumann. Hillel presented the paper at an international economics conference and submitted it to a peer-reviewed journal.

Current City: Princeton, New Jersey
Undergraduate Institution: The University of Texas, Austin
Fulbright U.S. Student Fellow in Literature - Japan, 2009-2010
Email: WBridges.AlumniAmbassador@fulbrightmail.org

In Japan, William Bridges conducted a comparative analysis of modern Japanese and African-American literature. While in Tokyo, William worked with the African-American Studies Association of Japan to promote mutual understanding and cross-cultural exchange. His work in Japan will culminate in a dissertation entitled, Playing in the Shadows: Blackness and the Postwar Japanese Literary Imagination. William is currently a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of East Asian Studies at Princeton University.

Current City: Washington, DC
Undergraduate Institution: St. Mary’s College of Maryland
Fulbright English Teaching Assistant - Vietnam, 2008-2009
Email: KBuzby.AlumniAmbassador@fulbrightmail.org

In Vietnam, Keith Buzby was one of the first Fulbright English Teaching Assistants to the country in the program’s history. He assistant taught in the rural Mekong Delta at Dong Thap University and also designed and taught a seminar on American Culture. He now works in Washington, DC for the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP).

Current City: Urbana, Illinois
Undergraduate Institution: University of South Carolina-Columbia
Fulbright English Teaching Assistant - Indonesia, 2008-2009
Email: RCarter.AlumniAmbassador@fulbrightmail.org

In Indonesia, Regina Carter assistant-taught conversational English to students in grades ten and eleven. She also privately tutored residents who sought to improve their English speaking skills, participated in the Cantik/Manis (Beautiful/Sweet) Conference in Semarang, a conference promoting dialogue about skin color and how beauty is defined in Indonesian society, and assisted with WORDS, a creative writing competition in Jakarta. Regina is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Current City: Fargo, North Dakota
Undergraduate Institution: North Dakota State University
Fulbright English Teaching Assistant - Jordan, 2009-2010
Email: EHagemeister.AlumniAmbassador@fulbrightmail.org

In Jordan, Emily Hagemeister was one of the first English Teaching Assistants (ETAs) in the Middle East and North Africa. Her grant involved assistant-teaching English, history, and political science at Abdul Hamid Sharaf School, and English, pedagogy, and career development for teachers at the Mathnasium Tutoring Center. As a Fulbright ETA, Emily discovered her passion for international education and is now pursuing a career in international academic exchange. She holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees in anthropology from North Dakota State University in Fargo.

Current City: Cleveland, Ohio
Undergraduate Institution: Eastern Michigan University
Fulbright U.S. Student Fellow in Education - Slovenia, 2007-2008
E-mail: NHarper.AlumniAmbassador@fulbrightmail.org

In Slovenia, Nicole Harper was affiliated with the University of Primorska in Koper, where she conducted dissertation research for her Ed.D. from Georgia Southern University. Her research explored perceptions of cross-cultural learning through aesthetic experience, which involved collecting narratives from expatriates living in Slovenia. Nicole’s Fulbright experience also allowed her to: teach a course in English as a foreign language at the University’s language center; take horseback riding lessons at the historic Lipizzaner farm; and attend the official ceremony marking Slovenia’s European Union Presidency. Since returning to the United States, she has completed her doctorate and is currently an Assistant Professor of Art Education at Cleveland State University.

Current City: Southaven, Mississippi
Undergraduate Institution: University of Chicago
Fulbright U.S. Student Fellow in Law - Barbados, 2009-2010
Email: JHill.AlumniAmbassador@fulbrightmail.org

In Barbados, Justin Hill’s Fulbright project sought to bring attention to the connection between public health, sentiment and law. To that end, he conducted a three-part study that involved: looking at the health-seeking, sexual and risk behaviors of 25 incarcerated men; interviewing public health practitioners, policy makers, researchers and (inter)national organizations working on issues related to the most at-risk populations); and mapping incarcerated men’s sexual networks while tracing law and societal values’ impacts on public health policies. Additionally, Justin taught a sexual health education class in Her Majesty’s Prison Dodds, St. Phillips to 60 incarcerated males and served as rapporteur for PEPFAR’s first annual Caribbean Regional HIV and AIDS Partnership Framework meeting held by the U.S. Embassy, Bridgetown. He is currently a freelance writer on politics, public health and international human rights issues.

Current City: St. Louis, Missouri
Undergraduate Institution: Truman State University
Fulbright English Teaching Assistant - Russia, 2008-2009
Email: HKay.AlumniAmbassador@fulbrightmail.org

In Russia, Hannah Kay assistant-taught English and American culture at Udmurt State University in Izhevsk. Her lesson plans covered topics such as the 2008 Presidential election, the history of American cinema and formal writing as a means towards fostering cross-cultural communication. She also led English clubs for students and teachers, volunteered at a local orphanage and taught community English classes. Through visits to villages maintaining folk traditions within the Udmurt Republic and a trip during her
winter break on the Trans-Siberian Railroad, she gained a deeper understanding of the breadth of Russian culture. Hannah is currently an operations and logistics coordinator in St. Louis.

Current City: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Undergraduate Institution: University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign
Fulbright U.S. Student Fellow in Public Health - Mozambique, 2007-2008
Email: AKumar.AlumniAmbassador@fulbrightmail.org

In Mozambique, Aparna Kumar conducted research on HIV, traditional medicine, community health assessment and education for medical students in affiliation with the Catholic University of Mozambique (UCM) College of Medicine in Beira. She also designed a rapid health assessment tool with the World Health Organization in Maputo, and created partnerships for the UCM with a local non-governmental organization. Aparna’s collaboration with the UCM also helped to improve teaching public health for medical students and to develop research for the family and community health department. She is currently a nurse working in Philadelphia and completing a Master’s in psychiatric and mental health nursing.

Current City: Columbia, Missouri
Undergraduate Institution: University of Wisconsin-Madison
Fulbright U.S. Student Fellow in Journalism - Nepal, 2008-09
Email: LLance.AlumniAmbassador@fulbrightmail.org

In Nepal, Liz Lance completed a long-form documentary photography project examining beauty and body image among young Nepali women. Her completed project included a photography exhibition, multimedia slideshows, photo essays, narrative articles and a Nepali-language radio story. Liz is now finishing her Master's degree in journalism at the Missouri School of Journalism and is planning to pursue doctoral study in international media systems and media policy.

Current City: Boston, Massachusetts
Undergraduate Institution: Vassar College
Fulbright U.S. Student Fellow in Photography - Mexico, 2007-2008
Email: KLanderos.AlumniAmbassador@fulbrightmail.org

In Mexico, Kathya Maria Landeros worked with the Universidad de Guanajuato and Migrant Education, a non-governmental organization, to photograph Mexican migrant culture in the central Mexican states of Guanajuato, Jalisco and Michoacan – three states with some of the highest rates of historic migration to
the United States. This work was part of a longer-term project on U.S. -Mexico migration. During her Fulbright grant, she focused on how emigration to the United States has changed the Mexican social and cultural landscape, often resulting in Mexican and American hybrid customs and influences. She is currently a graduate student at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, where she is a candidate for an MFA in photography.

Current City: Eugene, Oregon
Undergraduate Institution: University of Idaho
Fulbright English Teaching Assistant - Colombia, 2008-2009
Email: AMakowski.AlumniAmbassador@fulbrightmail.org

In Colombia, Anna Makowski worked as an English Teaching Assistant at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Bucaramanga (UNAB), where she assistant-taught English classes, participated in conversation clubs for students and faculty and assisted the Department of International Relations in organizing cultural events. She also played on the UNAB women’s soccer team. Aside from working at UNAB, Anna volunteered for Fundación Mujer y Futuro (Foundation for Women and the Future), where she helped organize the women’s studies library, translated documents into English and prepared materials for grant applications. She is currently a law student at the University of Oregon in Eugene.

Current City: New York, New York
Undergraduate Institution: Fordham University
Fulbright U.S Student Fellow in Education - Morocco, 2008-2009
Email: MMohi-Ud-Din.AlumniAmbassador@fulbrightmail.org

In Morocco, Mohsin Mohi-Ud-Din founded a non-profit organization called the Lollipop Crown Music and Arts Initiative to empower disadvantaged youth through music and the arts and also improved his Arabic skills with a Fulbright Critical Language Enhancement Award. In partnership with the U.S. Embassy in Rabat, Mohsin taught street children, orphans and drug addicts how to produce music, write, direct and act in their own short films. The films they produced dealt with issues of poverty and abuse and also spoke to their hopes and dreams. The initiative produced 17 short films which have been shown at the famous Cinema Rif Theater in Tangier, the United States Institute of Peace in Washington, and the World Islamic Economic Forum in Malaysia. Mohsin is currently pursuing a Master’s in international affairs at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) specializing in Muslim-Western relations, governance and human rights issues in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia. He also writes a column for The Huffington Post on Muslim-Western relations and tours and releases albums with his band, Zerobridge.

Current City: Washington, DC
Undergraduate Institution: Macalester College
Fulbright U.S. Student Fellow in Law - Spain, 2008-2009
Email: CRamon.AlumniAmbassador@fulbrightmail.org

In Spain, Cris Ramon studied the legal rights of immigrants, specifically analyzing the legal impact of seven sentences issued by the Spanish Constitutional Court against the Ley Orgánica 8/2000, a reform of Spain’s main immigration law. Beyond carrying out his research, Cris wrote human rights violation reports for the Spanish Commission for Refugee Assistance and worked with six other Fulbright U.S. Student Program fellows studying immigration in Spain to organize a conference at the Casa de América in Madrid. The conference, titled, From Emigration to Immigration: Seven American Perspectives on Immigration in Spain, allowed each Fulbrighter to present his research findings. Currently, Cris is an Honors Paralegal with the Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Competition in Washington, DC.

Current City: Los Angeles, California
Undergraduate Institution: University of Pennsylvania
Fulbright U.S. Student Fellow in History - Indonesia, 2008 - 2009
Email: DSetiyawan.AlumniAmbassador@fulbrightmail.org

In Indonesia, Dahlia Gratia Setiyawan conducted research on 20th Century Indonesian migration to the United States in affiliation with Airlangga University in Surabaya, East Java. As a visiting lecturer in the Department of History, she taught and mentored undergraduate students and helped organize the first international academic conference of its kind on Indonesian urban settlements. She also volunteered with the U.S. Consulate General in Surabaya on outreach initiatives to diverse Indonesian communities. A native of Philadelphia, Dahlia is currently a Ph.D. candidate and Teaching Fellow in the Department of History at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Current City: New York, New York
Undergraduate Institution: The University of Oklahoma
Fulbright U.S. Student Fellow in International Relations - Canada, 2007-2008
Email: KShadid.AlumniAmbassador@fulbrightmail.org

In Canada, Kerri Shadid studied international relations at McGill University in Montreal. Her Fulbright research focused on Canada's role in United Nations peacekeeping, the country's historical importance in the creation of peacekeeping efforts and its current withdrawal from U.N. engagements. Kerri is currently a graduate student in the Draper Interdisciplinary Master's Program in the Humanities and Social Thought at New York University.

Current City: New York, New York
Undergraduate Institution: Philander Smith College
Fulbright U.S. Student Fellow in Journalism - Ukraine, 2009-2010
Email: TStarr.AlumniAmbassador@fulbrightmail.org

In Ukraine, Terrell Jermaine Starr carried out journalistic research on African-Ukrainians’ self-perceptions in a Slavic society, and perceptions of the African immigrant community in Kyiv in affiliation with the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology. He also received a Fulbright Critical Language Enhancement Award to study Russian. During his grant, Terrell published articles for several American publications, conducted extensive interviews with dozens of African-Ukrainians and African immigrants about racism in Ukraine and organized a photo exhibition of his work on African-Ukrainian life that was exhibited throughout the country. Terrell is currently lecturing about his Fulbright experiences around the United States. He hopes that his lectures will help promote conflict resolution dialogues about race in the United States.