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American Grantees in the UK

Fulbright Class of 2012

Postgraduate Students

Phoebe Bakanas, Leeds University Postgraduate Award

Pheobe Bakanas graduated Summa Cum Laude from Connecticut College with degrees in Music Technology and Computer Science and a certificate from the Ammerman Center for Arts and Technology. For her final academic project, Phoebe created a tool for people to ‘shape’ music through gestures using frame-based video processing. She won the Smalley Zahler Award for Best Senior Project to integrate art and technology for this work. During university, Phoebe participated as a violinist in the orchestra, chaired the Music Advisory Board and was awarded the Sarah Nichols Award for greatest contribution to musical life on campus. Phoebe was also captain of her water polo team and a nationally recognised scholar-athlete. She was awarded the Brown-Brooks Athletic Award for leadership, scholarship and sportsmanship. As a Fulbright-Leeds University Scholar, Phoebe will continue to study musical gesture tracking technology on the Master of Science Research course within the School of Computing.

Trevor Bakker, University College London Postgraduate Award

Trevor Bakker born and raised in Holland, Michigan, studied human rights and economics at Harvard College, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude in Social Studies in 2010. A Rogers Family Research Fellow of Harvard’s Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, he examined community outreach and justice sector capacity building at the Special Court for Sierra Leone in his senior honours thesis. He also led the Harvard College Human Rights Advocates and the Harvard Darfur Action Group and was awarded the George Caspar Homans Prize for Excellence in the Social Sciences, the Human Rights Essay Prize, and the Lester Kissel Grant in Practical Ethics. In 2010-2011 Trevor managed research on two randomized controlled trials in India for the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL). The first, with Professors Esther Duflo, Michael Greenstone, and Rema Hanna, evaluated cooking stoves in Orissa state designed to reduce indoor air pollution and respiratory disease. The second, with Abhijit Banerjee, Rohini Pande, and Michael Walton, tested the effect of voter information campaigns on the provision of public services in slum communities by Delhi’s municipal councillors. He enjoys running, hiking and playing tennis as well as public speaking, theatre and politics. As a Fulbright-UCL Scholar, Trevor will pursue the MSc Economics course.

William Boyce, Glasgow University Postgraduate Award

William Boyce was born in Providence, Rhode Island, and graduated from Florida State University (FSU) in 2011, with an Honours BA in History, English-Creative Writing, and Religious Studies. Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude, he composed a 50-page collection of poems for his Honours in the Major Thesis under the mentorship of a Guggenheim Fellow. He was a Founding Father of Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity, a founding member of The Owl, Florida State’s only undergraduate research journal, and the founder of Honours Delegates, which hosts special events for prospective FSU Honours students. As the Humanities representative on the Student Council for Undergraduate Research and Creativity, he also served as a resident assistant in a freshman hall and presented research at the Atlantic Coast Conference Meeting of the Minds Symposium. As a Fulbright Scholar to the University of Glasgow, he will study theological aesthetics at their Centre for the Study of Literature, Theology, and the Arts while pursuing a Masters of Literature.

Bryce Bushman, Strathclyde University Research Award

Bryce Bushman, from Kearns, Utah, attended Utah State University on a Presidential Scholarship and graduated magna cum laude with honours in 2004 receiving a BLA in Landscape Architecture as well as minors in Business and Sociology. He was a teaching assistant and spent a semester exchange at the Univerza v Ljubljani in Ljubljana, Slovenia. In 2008 he received a MUPP in Urban Planning and Policy from the University of Illinois at Chicago, where he specialised in physical planning and was awarded a Research Assistantship. His experience includes internships at the US Bureau of Land Management, private landscape design and architecture/planning firms, and professional work as a landscape designer and project manager. He has most recently spent three years in China doing urban planning, design and research at the Guangxi Hualan Design and Consulting Group in Nanning. He will use the three-year Fulbright-Strathclyde Research Award to obtain a PhD in Architecture. His research will explore the social construct and physical applications of city identity from an environmental psychology and urban design perspective.

Jonas Caballero, US Postgraduate Student Award, University of Cambridge

Jonas Caballero was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He studied Media and Professional Communications and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Pittsburgh where he obtained a Bachelor of Philosophy in both areas. A freelance journalist and photographer, Caballero has had articles and photographs published in the Egypt Daily Star, Insight Magazine (Egypt), Nox Magazine (Jordan), The New People (Pittsburgh), and TwoDay Magazine (New York). In 2007 he served as Media Relations Coordinator for the International Solidarity Movement in Ramallah, Palestine, and as President of Pitt’s Students for Justice in Palestine from 2008 to 2010. As a Fulbright Scholar, Jonas will pursue a Master of Philosophy in Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Cambridge. His research will focus on the current boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) of Israel movement, analysing its successes and failures from a British perspective.

Cassie Chambers, US Postgraduate Student Award, London School of Economics

Cassie Chambers, a native of Berea, Kentucky, graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Yale College in 2010. As a Psychology major, Cassie had varied research interests; she spent time studying both the neurobiological basis of memory and attitudes towards gender in South Africa. Interested in the intersection of science, public health and public policy, Cassie interned for the US Senate HELP Committee, developed an advocacy campaign for the American Public Health Association, and is currently pursuing a Masters in Public Health at Yale University. Outside of the classroom, Cassie has volunteered as a health educator, competed in intercollegiate ballroom dance competitions and founded a community service programme to help rural high school students apply to university. Next year she will pursue a Masters in Public Policy at the London School of Economics as a Fulbright Scholar.

Louis Chiappetta, US Postgraduate Student Award, Guildhall School of Music and Drama

Louis Chiapetta, a native of New York, began his formal composition studies at age 13 at the Mannes College of Music Preparatory Division. He received his Bachelors degree in Composition from the Cleveland Institute of Music where we studied with Keith Fitch. Chiappetta has had works performed at such music festivals as the Aspen Music Festival and School, MusicX (Switzerland) and the Dartington International Summer School (England). He has recently participated in master classes with composers including Augusta Read Thomas, George Tsontakis, Stephen Hartke, Martin Bresnick and Julian Anderson. Chiappetta has been the recipient of several awards including a 2010 ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Award, the Charles Ives Scholarship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters (2011), and the Donald Erb Prize in Composition from the Cleveland Institute of Music. As a Fulbright Scholar, he will study Composition with Julian Anderson at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

Jordan Covvey, Strathclyde University Research Award

Jordan Covvey was born in New Jersey and, after a childhood in Kansas watching tornados, she headed to university in Kentucky to watch horses and basketball instead. She earned her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Kentucky in 2010. There she served as a contributing columnist for the University of Kentucky’s newspaper, The Kentucky Kernel, authoring a series of articles aimed to improve health literacy. She has spoken at local, state and national meetings, both on clinical topics as well as US healthcare reform. Last year Jordan completed a pharmacy practice residency with the Virginia Commonwealth University Health System. Her time was spent caring for patients within medical, psychiatric and critical care hospital units, and ultimately led to her desire to improve healthcare on a mass level. Jordan hopes to use her Fulbright year at the Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences to improve the use of medicines internationally, and to discover all the scenic and cultural experiences that the UK has to offer.

David DeMair, US Postgraduate Award, Royal Northern College of Music

David DeMair fell in love with the sound of the euphonium when he first heard it played as a student growing up in New Jersey. He began playing the instrument at his school shortly after, and has been playing ever since. Once obscure, the euphonium has seen a huge growth in popularity in recent years, and David is one of a young generation of euphonium players who aim to continue this trend into the future. David studied music at the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University where he also completed a major in physics and graduated with highest honours. As a freshman, he was selected as an alternate semi-finalist in the Leonard Falcone International Tuba and Euphonium Competition. Most recently, he was awarded 2nd place in the Chicago Brass Festival Solo Competition and has performed as a soloist with the Princeton Brass Band. As a Fulbright Scholar and recipient of the Lusk Memorial Fellowship, David will enrol in the Royal Northern College of Music where he will study the unique British tradition of euphonium and brass band.

Calynn Dowler, University of Sussex Postgraduate Award

Calynn Dowler studied Political Science and German at Gettysburg College, graduating Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude in 2010. Calynn also studied at the University of Heidelberg, Germany, with the support of scholarships from DAAD and the Eisenhower-Hilton Foundation. As an undergraduate at the Eisenhower Institute, she received a grant for a study trip to South Africa and Botswana. After graduation, Calynn worked as a WorldTeach volunteer at the Asian University for Women, a regional liberal arts university located in Chittagong, Bangladesh. As a Fulbright Scholar, Calynn will pursue an MA in Migration Studies at the University of Sussex and research the relationship between migration and development within the context of Bangladeshi immigration to the United Kingdom.

Sean Frederick, University of Liverpool Postgraduate Award

Sean Frederick, the son of a career military officer, grew up without a fixed address. From the glamour of Las Vegas to the old world charm of Madrid, Spain, much of his life has been spent in exploration and adventure. For the last few years, however, he has called the University of Portland his home. Throwing himself into the life of the university, he played on an intramural soccer team, served as a tutor and active member of the Tau Beta Pi engineering honour society, authored a training guide for English-speaking engineers working in Spanish-speaking countries, and rose to the rank of Vice Wing Commander in the university’s Air Force ROTC Detachment. Most recently, he led a team designing a portable refrigeration device to aid impoverished African villagers. Graduating summa cum laude as the 2011 Valedictorian, he earned two degrees: a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish. Simultaneously, he was commissioned as an officer in the Air Force to serve as a Developmental Engineer. As a Fulbright Scholar, he will attend the University of Liverpool to pursue a Masters in the Engineering Application of Lasers. In this cutting edge research programme Sean intends to study ways in which laser technology is changing the face of modern engineering.

Jessica Galea, University of Bristol Postgraduate Award

Jessica Galea was born in Toledo, Ohio. After relocating to northern Illinois, she became involved in musical theatre and the Girl Scouts. At University of Illinois at Chicago, she graduated with dual BAs in Anthropology and History and a French minor, in 2011. In addition to running the Anthropology Club, she avidly participated in chamber and a cappella choirs. Ironically, she has worked at Bristol Renaissance Faire in Wisconsin for the past four years. Her love of French took her to Avignon in the summer of 2009, where she completed coursework in French theatre and archaeology. The following summer she went to Amarna, Egypt, for fieldwork on ancient skeletons, which became her senior honours thesis on spinal trauma. This is where she discovered the symptom of childhood malnutrition that is her project at Bristol University. As the Fulbright-Bristol University Award recipient she will work to improve the scoring system for cribra orbitalia in a collection of medieval children, which could lead to a better understanding of the condition in present populations. In her free time she hopes to sing with Bristol’s choirs and explore her genealogy in the UK.

Lauren Gambino, US Postgraduate Award, London College of Communications

Lauren Gambino grew up in Tempe, Arizona, and attended the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. She graduated summa cum laude in May 2011, and was named Outstanding Undergraduate of the Year. She was a part of the inaugural honours class of journalism to earn a dual Bachelors/Masters in a four-year period. She wrote for the university's student-run newspaper and magazine, the State Press and the State Press Magazine. In 2010 she was selected for News21, a fellowship funded by the Carnegie and Knight foundations, for which she wrote an in-depth story on a controversial US immigration policy and received a National Hearst Journalism Award for In-depth Reporting. She also wrote for Phoenix Magazine, the city's largest magazine, and Cronkite News Service, providing content to professional media outlets statewide. As a Fulbright Scholar, she will study Broadcast Journalism at the London College of Communication.

Sarah Grant, US Postgraduate Award, University of Cambridge

Sarah Grant grew up in Potomac, Maryland, and graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 2011 with a BS in International Relations. While at the Navy, she was selected as a 2010 Harry S Truman Scholar, received the RADM Draper L Kauffman Leadership Excellence Award and served as the Brigade Operations Officer. She was a member of the Navy Women’s Rugby team, the President of the Midshipmen Action Group community service organisation and the Curriculum Director for the Naval Academy Leadership Conference. Her academic focus was on military strategy and security studies and she had the opportunity to intern during summers at the US Department of State, the National Security Agency and the Institute for Defense Analyses. She was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps in May 2011 and will spend her Fulbright year pursuing a Master of Philosophy in International Relations at Cambridge University.

Lydia Green, US Postgraduate Award, School of Oriental and African Studies, London

Lydia Green grew up in Walla Walla, Washington. She graduated from the University of Southern California with a degree in Linguistics and honours in Multimedia Scholarship having spent her last semester in Ghana. After graduating, she spent six months in Virginia interning with Rosetta Stone’s Endangered Language Programme. Lydia is a member of the Endangered Language Documentation, Theory and Application (ELDTA) research group; plays bass clarinet, bagpipes and African hand drums; is advanced SCUBA certified; has studied German, Korean, Latin, and Twi; played for the USC Women's Ice Hockey team; coordinated an environmentally-focused, service-learning trip to Death Valley; and is always ready for an adventure. Her research on languages in Alaska, California, and Ghana has increased dialogue about language loss and she hopes to continue using multimedia to celebrate the world’s beautiful linguistic diversity. As a Fulbright Scholar, Lydia will study Language Documentation and Description at the University of London, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). She will then return to the University of Newcastle, Australia, to resume her PhD in Linguistics.

Caleb Hamman, US Postgraduate Award, Queen's University, Belfast

Caleb Hamman graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Butler University in 2011 with a degree in Political Science and Philosophy. There, he wrote an honours thesis about the peace building activities of Israeli and Palestinian youth. For this project he conducted fieldwork in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories in the summer of 2010. As a student, Caleb worked with Indianapolis youth in afterschool centres, volunteered with labour campaigns, participated in a dialogue group with Iraqi refugees, edited the campus newspaper and presided over student organisations in peace studies and philosophy. In 2009, he completed an internship at the Center for American Progress in Washington, DC. As a Fulbright Scholar, Caleb will carry out research at Queen’s University Belfast concerning the political practices and the peace building activities of youth in Northern Ireland. Following his Fulbright year, he will pursue a PhD in Political Science and Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame where he has received admission and a University Presidential Fellowship.

Anna Hellmann, Cardiff University Postgraduate Award

Anna Hellman was born in Lakeside Park, Kentucky, and attended the Notre Dame Academy, an all-girls college preparatory high school. She graduated receiving the University of Louisville’s Hallmark Award, which paid full tuition and accommodation costs for her studies there. She completed her undergraduate degree in Biology with a minor in Psychology. There, she led the university’s largest student-run philanthropic organisation raising over $74,000 for the local children’s hospital. She also led the Volunteer Programme for the university’s Honours Programme. Anna was also an active researcher throughout her undergraduate career, investigating drug treatment studies on the fungus causing corn smut, or tumours on corn plants. In December of 2010, she presented this work at the International Ustilago maydis Meeting. As a Fulbright Scholar, Anna will conduct pre-clinical studies involving Tuberous Sclerosis Complex and will work towards completing an MPhil at Cardiff University.

Kyle Inman, mtv-U Postgraduate Award, Queen's University, Belfast

Kyle Inman's closest friends refer to her as a kind, confident and charismatic ‘Southern Lady’. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Kyle’s primary residence is in the ‘great state of Texas’. She obtained her Bachelor’s degree from DePauw University in Indiana, in Music and English Literature, and was awarded a Gilman Scholarship for a semester study abroad. Her brief time at Queen’s University in Belfast captured her heart and since her return to the US she has worked to spread understanding of Northern Ireland’s culture and history. Kyle has won acclaim from her Northern Ireland Awareness Week and presentations of her thesis ‘Portals of Truth: Musical and Literary Responses to the “Troubles” of Northern Ireland’. As a recipient of the Fulbright mtvU Award, Kyle will highlight the powerful artistic steps Northern Ireland is taking in order to move past the events of its troubled history and towards a harmonious future with her project entitled ‘Voices of Northern Ireland’.

William Kalema, US Postgraduate Student, University of Cambridge

William Kalema was raised in Wilmington, Delaware, and went to high school at Wilmington Friends School. He graduated with Honours in History from Northwestern University in 2010, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. At Northwestern William developed the Sudan Good Governance Fellowship programme, a governance capacity building initiative for community leaders from South Kordofan, Sudan, based at the university with coursework in management, leadership, negotiation and conflict resolution. He co-founded Afrilogue, a group that met bi-weekly to debate political and economic issues facing Africa. In the summer of 2007, he interned at the International Law Institute in Kampala, Uganda. As a Fulbright Scholar, he will pursue an MPhil in African Studies at King’s College, University of Cambridge. He is interested in the history of Sudan’s foreign relations in the post-colonial period and how these relationships impacted governance in Sudan. He looks forward to debates at the Cambridge Union Society.

Patrick Lee, US Alistair Cooke Award in Journalism, University of Oxford

Whether he’s embarking on cross-country road trips with his a cappella group or learning how to cook a soufflé Patrick Lee always has a knack for finding adventures big and small. He hopes to bring this spirit abroad during his year as the Fulbright-Alistair Cooke Award recipient, when he will try British cuisine for the first time while studying Medical Anthropology at Oxford. Patrick grew up in South Barrington, Illinois, and graduated from Yale with a degree in Ethics, Politics and Economics and a concentration in Global Health. In 2009, Patrick spent a summer in Peru’s rural Callejón de Huaylas region examining the local political economy of trash and the health disparities linked to differential access to sanitation services. He also interned for the Office of the Secretary of Defense, where he helped plan the logistics and communications strategy for the Pentagon’s 9/11 remembrance. He has reported for the Boston Globe, the New York Times, the Minneapolis Star Tribune and CNN.com. This summer, he’ll be reporting for the Wall Street Journal before heading to the UK to further his education as a journalist-anthropologist. He is an avid tennis player and a fan of Gilbert and Sullivan operettas.

Nate Lindsey, University of Edinburgh Postgraduate Award

Nate Lindsey grew up in Skaneateles, New York, He studied Alternative Energy and Sustainable Engineering, completed minors in Optics and Environmental Geology and studied Western Literature as a Take Five Scholar at the University of Rochester. Nate fostered an interest in East African energy development by working with energy experts of Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, and Djibouti, as well as helping to design and install a decentralized alternative energy system at Ugandan primary school. Research in geophysics and geothermal energy at the US Department of Energy at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory motivated his recent study of tectonic deformation in the Great East African Rift Valley. As the Fulbright-Edinburgh University Scholar, Nate will pursue an MSc by Research in Exploration Geophysics at the University of Edinburgh’s School of Geosciences in order to better understand geothermal energy reservoirs in Ethiopia using magnetotellurics. Nate looks forward to visiting Hutton’s Unconformity, enjoying the 2011 Golden Spurtle Competition, and immersing himself in a culture that uncompromisingly pursues clean energy despite a natural endowment of fossil fuels.

Kevin Liu, US Postgraduate Student, University of Oxford

Kevin Liu is from Boston, Massachusetts. He graduated in 2011 from Harvard College with a degree in Neurobiology, with a track in Mind/Brain/Behaviour. At Harvard, he was an active member on campus and in the community: interning at the Harvard Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations, organising Prefrosh Weekend, coaching his high school speech and debate team, tutoring and advising fellow students and volunteering at Massachusetts General Hospital. In addition, Kevin has been involved in developmental neurobiology research since 2008, studying molecular controls over the development of cortical projection neuron subtypes. He also spent the summer of 2009 abroad at Tokyo’s RIKEN Brain Science Institute, where he conducted research on medium spiny neuron degeneration in Huntington’s Disease. During his Fulbright year, he will begin a DPhil programme in Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics at the University of Oxford.

Theo Milonopoulos, US Postgraduate Award, King's College, London

Theo Milonopoulos served for the last two years as a research assistant to former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Under her guidance, he investigated topics for her memoirs like the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, nuclear proliferation and legal issues associated with the war on terrorism. Theo previously held research positions at Stanford’s Center for International Security and Cooperation, where he assisted former Secretary of Defense William J Perry and Dr Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall in organising a conference on military contracting. He also served as a reporting intern for the Los Angeles Times and as a research assistant for New York Times senior Washington correspondent David E. Sanger. In 1998, Theo and his twin brother co-founded a community organisation in Los Angeles to prevent gun violence. He graduated from Stanford University with honours in International Security Studies. As a Fulbright Scholar, Theo will study civil-military relations and diversity in the armed forces at King’s College London.

Michael Nguyen, Fulbright-Oxford Clarendon Scholarship

Michael Nguyen grew up in West Covina, California. He earned his Bachelors and Masters in Biology from Stanford University. As an undergraduate, he volunteered as the Clinic Flow Manager at the Arbor Free Clinic, coordinated hepatitis B screening and vaccination sites for the Asian Liver Center, assisted in leading efforts to raise funds for HIV/AIDS prevention through Stanford Dance Marathon, and organised community events through the Asian American Activities Center. He also conducted research on the development of hepatocellular carcinoma and the mechanisms of non-homologous end joining. In the spring of his junior year, he studied at the University of Oxford, completing a tutorial in genomic maintenance and performing in a student production of Hamlet. Michael’s interests include dancing, traveling, and snowboarding. He looks forward to returning to Oxford for his Fulbright year to pursue a DPhil in Biochemistry as he works towards a career in academic medicine.

Christine Pigott, University College, Falmouth Postgradaute Award in Media

Christine Pigott was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. She graduated from Brooklyn College with a BS in Information Systems and a BA in Television and Radio. Since the early age of eight, Christine has been practicing Shotokan karate and playing the steel pan. Her journey as an athlete has led her to compete across the US and has taught her self-discipline, given her confidence, and instilled in her the importance of teamwork and hard work. Christine is a Jeannette K Watson Fellow and a Fellow in the Ernesto Malave CUNY Leadership Academy. Over the course of her studies thus far, Christine has developed and strengthen her passion for filmmaking. She has produced, directed and edited documentaries, short films, public service announcements and music videos. Christine loves the creative process involved in bringing an idea to life and she hopes to continue to create pieces that shine light on issues prevalent in her community. As a Fulbright Scholar, Christine will study Television Production at University College, Falmouth.

Lisa Raffensperger, US Postgraduate Student, City University, London

Lisa Raffensperger graduated from the University of Iowa in 2007 with dual Honours degrees in Biology and English, and plans to become a science journalist. During her time at Iowa, she was awarded the Stevens Phi Beta Kappa scholarship and was a University of Iowa Presidential Scholar. She completed two years of undergraduate research on the genetics of cleft lip and palate, worked at the University of Iowa Press, volunteered with Big Brothers Big Sisters and was a student leader of the 10,000 Hours Show, a project bolstering student volunteering. Since graduation, Lisa has written and reported science stories for World Resources Institute, National Public Radio, the National Science Foundation, IEEE Spectrum Radio and the Economist. As a Fulbright Scholar she will undertake the MA in Science Journalism at City University, London, which will further hone her journalistic skills.

Rachel Romeo, US Postgraduate Award, University College, London

Rachel Romeo grew up near Nashville, Tennessee, before moving to Philadelphia where she graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Pennsylvania with degrees in Psychology and Linguistics. There she conducted research in the Penn Infant Language Center under Professor Daniel Swingley on phonological development in infants with hearing impairments, and their word-learning trajectory over childhood. When not playing with babies, she wrote and performed in Bloomers, the only all-female collegiate sketch comedy troupe in the country. She also co-founded an annual performance of student-written monologues, directed and produced shows of all genres of performing arts, and played on the Penn curling team. During her Fulbright year and with the Thouron Award, Rachel will study Language Sciences of Development at UCL to design new diagnostics and treatments for childhood language disorders, hopefully while also leaving the London comedy scene rolling in the aisles!

Alexandra Schultz, US Postgraduate Award, University of Oxford

Alexandra Schultz grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and will be graduating Phi Beta Kappa from Brown University with degrees in Classics and in Computer Science in May of 2011. When not working in the computer lab or buried deep in the stacks at the library, Alex loves learning languages, reading science fiction, cooking gourmet food, and playing football (soccer). Alex’s other passions include acting and fashion design, both reading about influential designers and creating her own garments. Alex has worked as a camp counsellor teaching children Korean, has been a teaching assistant in the Computer Science department at Brown and interned at Microsoft. Alex is the recipient of the ESA Foundation Computer and Video Game Scholarship, the Microsoft College Scholarship, the Lafayette Sabine Foster Greek Prize Examination, the President Francis Wayland Greek Prize Examination, and a Karen T Romer Undergraduate Teaching and Research Award. During her Fulbright year, Alex will pursue an MSt at the University of Oxford, studying fragments of Ancient Greek comedy from the Oxyrhynchus Papyri collection.

Yaron Schwartz, US Fulbright-Schuman Postgraduate Award

Yaron Schwartz, raised in Teaneck, New Jersey, graduated cum laude from Yale University with a BA in International Studies and History, receiving distinction in both majors. In addition to his studies, Yaron promoted intercultural and interfaith collaboration as President of Yale Hillel, led environmental awareness efforts as an intern at the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy and advanced dialogue about American politics as an editor of The Politic. Yaron’s passion for international relations and cultural exchange has led him to explore other societies around the world, including studying Southeast Asian culture at the National University of Singapore and conducting service work in Ghana, Guatemala and Mexico. For his International Studies thesis, Yaron traveled to Europe to research conflict management in the EU by studying the creation of the Union for the Mediterranean, the EU's foreign policy initiative towards North Africa and the Middle East. Yaron was awarded the Dirk Gleysteen Cup, European Union Studies Grant, Tristan Perloth Prize and Richter Fellowship in recognition of his contributions to international relations at Yale. As a Fulbright Scholar, Yaron will continue his research on EU foreign policy towards North Africa and the Middle East and pursue an MSc in International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Christopher Shirley, US Postgraduate Award, Queen Mary University, London

Christopher Shirley was born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He moved to the Chicago area to attend Lake Forest College, where he studied English and Art History. He was active in Lake Forest’s music programmes, student newspaper and PRIDE Lake Forest, the College’s LGBTQ student group, of which he was President in his final year. He graduated summa cum laude from Lake Forest and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He then matriculated to the English PhD programme at Northwestern University, with a specialisation in Renaissance English literature. At Northwestern, he has taught a range of courses spanning texts from Anglo-Saxon epic to Toni Morrison. During his Fulbright year, Chris will conduct research for his dissertation on how people in the Renaissance read erotic poetry, and will act as a visiting scholar at the Centre for Editing Lives and Letters at Queen Mary, University of London.

Mike Slaven, US Postgraduate Award, University of Edinburgh

Mike Slaven was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. He has served as speechwriter to the US Secretary of Homeland Security and in a similar capacity for the governor of Arizona. He has worked extensively on issues related to US immigration and border policy, as well as many other issues ranging from terrorism to education. As a Fulbright Scholar he will study international and European politics at the University of Edinburgh and research the politics of migration in the UK. Mike is a graduate of the University of Virginia. He enjoys writing and cooking, and maintains a lifelong passion for the history and cultures of the American West.

Elizabeth Sneller, University of Essex Postgraduate Award

Elizabeth Sneller grew up on the west coast of Michigan. She attended Calvin College, where she graduated with an honours degree in Linguistics. While at Calvin, Elizabeth was an active member in several student organisations, including Social Justice Coalition and Power Vote, the latter of which she was Co-President. She was also the recipient of both a National Merit Scholarship and a Michigan Merit award. During her Fulbright year in the UK, Elizabeth will attend the University of Essex, where she plans to study for a Masters in English Language Linguistics, focusing on the connection between social injustice and language change. Her plans for her Fulbright year also include volunteering in a local garden, becoming a football fan and writing letters to her friends and family in the States.

Matt Stephenson, University of Warwick Postgraduate Award

Having grown up in nearly a dozen US states, Matt Stephenson finally settled on Denver, Colorado, attending Regis University. He graduated summa cum laude in Political Economy and received the Joseph Ryan S J award for excellence in the study of economics. Drawn to issues of poverty and global development, Matt volunteered at a small microfinance organisation in India in the summer of 2009. He returned to the US with a research topic in economics inspired by his experiences in India, and this proposed research earned him recognition and grant support from the National Science Foundation the following year. At Regis he also distributed clothing at an affiliated shelter, tutored students in economics and statistics, and consulted for a non-profit refugee organisation. During his Fulbright year Matt will pursue an MSc in Economics at Warwick University.

Kimberly Stevenson, US Postgraduate Student, University of St Andrews

Kimberly Stevenson grew up in Tucson, Arizona. She attended the University of Arizona and graduated from the University of Delaware with Honours in Biological Sciences in 2011. She competitively figure skated for fifteen years and achieved the highest level in figure skating, Gold Level status. As an undergraduate at the University of Delaware, Kimberly was awarded the Nemours Summer Research Scholarship in 2009 and the Charles Peter White Fellowship in 2010 for research at A I duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware, where she has been an active volunteer. Kimberly has had ambitions to become a doctor since she was a child, and her continued research has inspired her goal to become involved in academic medicine as a physician. As a Fulbright Scholar she will be studying hip dislocation prevention and treatment in children with cerebral palsy at the University of St Andrews in Scotland.

Natalie Stokes, University of York Postgraduate Award

Natalie Stokes hails from Wrentham, Massachusetts and attended Boston College where she studied Theology, History and Women’s Studies. She graduated magna cum laude, as a member of Phi Beta Kappa honours society, in 2006. After graduating, Natalie completed a post-baccalaureate premedical programme through Harvard University, while working as a research coordinator in Adolescent Medicine at Children's Hospital Boston. Outside of work and school, Natalie volunteers as a Medical Advocate for the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center, tutors for Academic Approach and enjoys weight lifting. As a Fulbright Scholar at the University of York, Natalie plans to complete the MA in Gender, Violence and Conflict, while volunteering with rising sexual assault resource centres in the community. She subsequently plans to attend medical school in the US en route to a career focused on young women’s health.

Aakash Suchak, US Postgraduate Award, University of Sussex

Aakash Suchak was born in Hamburg, New York, and attended high school in Avon, Indiana. He then earned his BA with High Honours from Swarthmore College, where he specialised in English Literature, Art History and Interpretation Theory. As an undergraduate, he was awarded the Philip M Hicks Prize for Literary Criticism, the John Russell Hayes Poetry Prize and a Monroe C Beardsley Humanities Research Fellowship Grant to complete a poetry apprenticeship. He also interned at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City before traveling under the auspices of a Specialized Study Scholarship to Madrid, where he studied 20th century Spanish literature and visual culture through NYU. His critical and creative writing has appeared in a number of publications, including the Collegiate Journal of Art, the Susquehanna Review and Helix. In November of 2010, Aakash was invited to present at the WORD / IMAGE / CULTURE Humanities Conference at the University of West Georgia. As a Fulbright Scholar and Swarthmore Fellow, he will obtain an MA in Critical Theory at the University of Sussex.

Lindsey Thompson, US Postgraduate Award, Goldsmiths, University of London

Lindsey Thompson was born in Little Rock, Arkansas. After graduating high school at the top of her class, she attended Belmont University as a University Presidential Scholar. She customised her course of study to a hybrid of neuroscience and music theory called Music Cognition, as well as minoring in Physics for fun. She became a member of Alpha Chi Honours Society and Society of Physics Students in 2009. She conducted and assisted in seven undergraduate research projects on music and the brain, as well as assisting her physics professor in binary black hole research. Lindsey plays the flute, the piano and sings for various bands and ensembles, and she enjoys writing music, poetry and prose. As a Fulbright Scholar, she will study Music, Mind and Brain at Goldsmiths and become a part of an internationally renowned laboratory for music memory research.

Jessica Tsao, US Postgraduate Award, Liverpool John Moores University

Jessica Tsao was raised in Portland, Oregon. She graduated maxima cum laude from the University of Portland as a member of the honours programme with a degree in Biology and a minor in French. A four-year starter for the women’s soccer team, Jessica was a two-time Academic All-American. She also was a member of the US U-23 National Team. Jessica’s previous research includes examining the effect of exercise on an olfactory bulbectomy model for depression and investigating the attitudes and knowledge of collegiate soccer coaches and athletes toward concussions. During her Fulbright year, Jessica will be pursuing the MSc in Sports Biomechanics at Liverpool John Moores University and plans to pursue a career performing injury prevention research.

Hannah Watkins, US Postgraduate Award, Imperial College, London

Hannah Watkins was raised in Kenai, Alaska, and graduated from the University of Rochester, New York, in 2011 with a degree in Biomedical Engineering. While at Rochester, she was actively involved in undergraduate research and worked to improve the solubility of a drug that could potentially treat acute myeloid leukemia. She will spend her Fulbright year studying at Imperial College London, conducting drug delivery research aimed at improving chemotherapy. Additionally, she will be volunteering at local schools to promote science education. Hannah is also a recipient of the Whitaker International Fellowship, which supports programmes in biomedical engineering. Hannah’s other interests include playing the French horn, dancing and hiking.

Next Steps

American Grantees in the UK

Fulbright Class of 2012

Postgraduate Students