Four from Trinity University Awarded Fulbrights

Three Trinity University students and one recent alumnus have received awards from the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, one of the most prestigious programs focused on global diplomacy by funding opportunities overseas.

Jackson Delhagen '25 and Marina Oquendo '26 each received Fulbright English Teaching Awards to Spain. Lara Lashus '26 received a Fulbright research award to India. Nina Pollak '26 received a Fulbright Study Award to pursue a master's in conflict resolution and mediation. Details of her program, including location, are still being finalized.

Last year, Trinity was named a Fulbright "top producer" for being among the colleges and universities with the highest number of faculty and administrators selected for the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program.

Helping students receive Fulbright and other national awards is a priority for Trinity. The opportunities created by the awards address goals of the university's strategic plan, Ready. Set. Rise ., to commit to the highest level of excellence in teaching, research, and service, and to be a national leader by preparing students to thrive in an interconnected world. In April, Alynn Jimenez Miranda '27 was named a Truman Scholar, Trinity's first since 1998. Thirty-seven Trinity students have won Fulbright awards since 1968.

Having four Fulbright winners "is a reflection of the amount of work our students put into their applications and the hard work of our Fulbright team," said Jason Johnson Ph.D., professor of history and director of Trinity's Fulbright program for students, which operates under the Center for International Engagement. He spent a year in Berlin on a Fulbright Fellowship in 2008-2009.

Jenny Browne M.F.A., professor of English, became co-director of the Fulbright efforts in 2023. She has had two Fulbrights to Northern Ireland. Sabrina Cortez '15, a study abroad advisor, also assists with Fulbright applications.

Johnson and Browne introduce students to the Fulbright program with individual meetings and guidance. Cortez holds virtual and in-person workshops for applicants and spreads word of Fulbright at career fairs and other events.

"We live in an increasingly globalized world," Johnson says. "Fulbright is a way for students to have the time and funding to go abroad. It's increasingly important."

A competitive Fulbright candidate begins thinking about their application early in their college careers, Johnson says. High GPAs matter less than the broader academic profile. "Students are cultural ambassadors of the United States when they're abroad. The Fulbright committee looks for the overall profile of a student to see what they can offer as an ambassador."

The summer before their senior year, interested students begin the application process by submitting to Johnson by June 1 a one-page, double-spaced statement about the kind of Fulbright they're interested in, what country they want to apply to, and what's motivating them to apply. Trinity students will be interviewed on campus and given feedback on their complete, formal applications after the September 20 internal university deadline. Final versions of the application are due by the national deadline, which this year is October 6. In late January, Fulbright notifies students if their applications are moving forward, and awardees are notified around April.

Read more about this year's Fulbright Award winners.