9 Stony Brook Fulbright U.S. Student Program Candidates Selected

STONY BROOK, NY — Nine Stony Brook University students and alumni have been awarded Fulbright U.S. Student Program grants with five additional alternatives chosen, the university announced Thursday.

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program provides grants for individually designed study/research projects or for English Teaching Assistant programs. Each grant will begin in January 2021 which is delayed from the traditional August start because of the coronavirus.

Those selected include:

• Carolyn Acosta: ‘20: English Teacher Preparation Program; Grant: English Teaching Assistant Award to South Korea.
• Emily Carll, ‘20: Political Science Major; Grant: English Teaching Assistant Award to Serbia.
• Ashley Du, ‘20: Social Work Major; Grant: English Teaching Assistant Award to Taiwan.
• Kevin Hatton, ‘20: Geology Major; Grant: Research Award to Sweden.
• Nathalie Peña, ‘20: Linguistics - TESOL Major; Grant: English Teaching Assistant Award to South Korea.
• Alumna Hayley Rein: Psychology and Sociology Major; Grant: English Teaching Assistant Award for Hungary's Roma Student Initiative.
• PhD Student Amanda Rowe: Interdepartmental Doctoral Program in Anthropological Sciences; Grant: Research Award to Madagascar.
• Alumnus Robert Serrano: Mathematics and Physics Major; Grant: Research Award to Chile.
• Graduate Peony Tse, ‘20: Social Work Major; Grant: English Teaching Assistant Award to Malaysia.

Research Award grant recipients design their own projects and work with advisers at foreign universities or other institutes of higher education. The Fulbright English Teaching Assistant programs place grantees in schools overseas to supplement local English language instruction and to provide a native speaker presence in classrooms. All Fulbrighters will meet, work, live with and learn from the people of their host country. The program facilitates cultural exchange through direct interaction on an individual basis in the classroom, field, or home, allowing the grantee to gain an appreciation of others’ viewpoints and beliefs, the way they do things, and the way they think.

Alternates include:

• Mary Bertschi, ‘20 , Marine Vertebrate Biology and Ecosystems & Human Impact Major.
• Alumnus Dominick DeGaetano, Theatre Major.
• Master’s Student Ian Lesnick, World Language Teacher Preparation Program.
• Jeremy Nielsen, ‘20, Mechanical Engineering.
• DMA Student Kelly Smestad, Music.

Alternates could eventually be promoted to full recipients.