Albert Palma and Zachery Watkins are the latest of more than a dozen Fulbright Scholars to come from UNM in the last five years.
The Fulbright Scholar Program has promoted international exchanges at UNM since the program was founded in 1946.
Watkins was awarded the grant in order to travel to Germany to be a teacher's assistant in a high school English class. The Fulbright grant covers the cost of travel and provides a monthly stipend of about 800 euros.
Watkins said the program is very competitive.
"There was quite an application process," he said.
Lauren Fowler, the program coordinator for UNM's Office of International Programs and Studies, said the Fulbright program must be exclusive because funding for the scholarship comes from the U.S. government as well as the governments of the countries that scholars are being sent to.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
"The applications are first picked out by the Fulbright committee at UNM," she said. "Then they are sent to the Fulbright office in New York where a few are selected from the pool. Finally that pool is sent to the respective country where the scholars will be chosen."
She said the program is more competitive in some countries than others.
"Since some of the money comes from the country which we are sending the scholar to, the amount of students they can accept is based on how much money they have available," Fowler said. "So more economically developed countries are able to bring in more scholars than a country with less funding available."
In order to get a Fulbright grant in a non-English-speaking country, the applicant must be familiar with the language of the country where they hope to be placed, she said.
Fowler said applicants must also display a certain level of maturity and a strong desire to go to their country of choice.
Watkins fits these criteria, though he admitted his German is not perfect.
"Though I'm not fluent, I'm passable," he said. "I'll be able to work out all my needs, like housing and such, and I hope to come back fluent."
Lisa Delgado, student affairs specialist with the Dean of Students, said any student can get a Fulbright scholarship as long as they get involved on campus.
"All the opportunities are here on campus. You have to be here to find them," she said.
Extracurricular involvement is a huge factor in thriving in college and beyond, Delgado said.
Watkins said a key to success in college is doing what you enjoy, and for him, that includes traveling.
"College is about figuring out what you love and running with it," he said. "It's a lot more than just going to class and doing the homework just to get the grade. Instead of just coming here for a degree, I came here to find what my passion was."
