Anna Adams, a graduate student in the German Studies department; Caroline Muraida, a graduate student in international environmental economics; and William Taylor, a doctoral student in the Anthropology Department have each been awarded one of the highly coveted graduate scholarships.
Adams said she was amazed when she learned that she received the Fulbright Scholarship.
“I was in shock,” she said, “I was checking my phone in class, so I had to suppress my excitement because I couldn’t freak out then and there.”
She said she was confident that she would receive the Fulbright after receiving advice from fellow peers who had also received the scholarship.
“I felt like I had a really solid application and I knew that I had made it into the final round of decision-making, so I wasn’t too surprised that I got it, I was kind of expecting it but it was still a shock when I got it,” she said.
She remained a German and writing tutor at Center for Academic Program Support (CAPS) and also a writer for the UNM Foundation, according to the release.
Adams wants to pursue teaching in a way that will advance her German skills, she said.
Adams said she hoped to learn language differences and gain teaching experience during her stay in Germany.
Muraida will teach English in Malaysia, according to the release. She has served as UNM student body president, chair of the Student Fee Review Board and as a student body senator.
“I look forward to the rich dynamics of classroom and extracurricular interaction with students, exploring individual curiosities and collective interests. This experience provides the perfect meeting of ideas and action, the ability to contribute to and strengthen a global network of intellect and perspectives.” Muraida said in the statement.
Taylor is an archeo-zoologist who studies ancient animal bones. Taylor plans to use his award to study ancient horse use in Mongolia, he said.
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“It’s an unbelievable opportunity being able to spend the better portion of a year doing my research in Mongolia,” Taylor said. “I was just totally blown away because I never expected to receive that final notification.”
Taylor said there is a large portion of Mongolian history that is very poorly understood and he wants to shed light on that period by studying ancient Mongolian horse use.
“Obviously it’s a very prestigious award, but in my mind the main implications it has for me is that I will get to spend a duration of time in Mongolia,” he said. “I just don’t think there’s any other way you can arrange to spend an academic year overseas doing uninterrupted research.”
The scholarship program, developed by Sen. J. William Fulbright in 1945, is the largest U.S. exchange program. It allows students and young professionals to study overseas in pursuit of research or the opportunity to teach overseas at the university, primary school or secondary school levels, according to the Fulbright’s website.
The program awards approximately 8,000 students from over 155 countries worldwide, according to the website. During the grant term, Fulbright recipients meet, work, live with and learn from the people of the host country, sharing daily experiences, according to a UNM press release.
Fin Martinez is a freelance reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at News@Dailylobo.com or on Twitter @FinMartinez.
