This year, ten graduates of the Amherst College Class of 2015, and two graduates from 2014, will travel abroad to teach English or conduct research projects through Fulbright Fellowships. Two students have been named alternates, meaning they may yet receive Fulbright offers.
In addition, two Amherst graduates have been selected as Junior Fellows with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and one has been awarded a Gates Cambridge Scholarship.
The Gates Cambridge Scholarship
The Gates Cambridge Scholarship program was established in 2000 when the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation gave $210 million to the University of Cambridge (the largest single donation ever made to a university in the United Kingdom). The scholarships go to outstanding academics from outside the UK who wish to complete full-time postgraduate degree programs at the university.
Carlos Gonzalez Sierra ’14, the first Gates Cambridge Scholar from the Dominican Republic, will pursue an M.Phil. in Latin American studies, focusing on transnational political participation and the origins of inequality in the Latin American diaspora. At Amherst he double-majored in political science and interdisciplinary Latino studies. His long-term goal is to help “eradicate poverty in the Americas by increasing government accountability and implementing more humane social policies.”
The Fulbright Fellowship
The Fulbright Fellowship, founded in 1946 by U.S. Senator J. Williams Fulbright, is among the most prestigious awards in the world. This international educational exchange program operates in over 155 countries, sponsored by the U.S. government to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields.
Here are this year’s Amherst Fulbrights and alternates:
Elizabeth
Briskin ’15 has accepted an English Teaching Assistantship (ETA) in Malaysia. She majored in English at Amherst. Her long-term plans include pursuing a master's degree in education or English literature.
Emma
Broches ’14 has been offered a Fulbright grant to conduct research in Jordan on how women engage in deliberations about Islam vis a vis state-sponsored religious curricula and the growing Islamic movement. Broches majored in history at Amherst. Her future goals include a graduate degree in international relations and a career in international policy and conflict resolution.
Samanta
English ’15 has been offered a grant as a Fulbright ETA to South Korea. Samanta, an English major, intends to go on to graduate school to study early childhood education.
Timothy
Gaura ’15E has been offered a grant as a Fulbright ETA to Malaysia. He majored in anthropology at Amherst. Future plans include study in social work, focusing on conflict mediation.
Matthew
GoodSmith ’15 has been offered a Fulbright grant to conduct chemistry research at the Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands. The project involves the controlled growing of magnetite nanoparticles, which have magnetic and biocompatible properties of interest to medical and environmental research. GoodSmith plans to apply to medical school, possibly incorporating this research into his practice.
Hannah
Gorman ’15 is an alternate for a Fulbright ETA in Thailand. She majored in anthropology and French at Amherst. She plans to pursue a master’s degree in public health, aiming for a career in global public health.
Kathleen
Hurt ’15 is an alternate for a Fulbright Research Grant. She majored in German at Amherst. She would like to apply her grant toward the first year of a master’s degree in international studies at the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna. She aspires to a career with the U.S. Department of State and the Foreign Service.
Yasmina Martin ’14 has been offered a Fulbright grant to study the work of South African activist Simon Nkoli, which links activism for racial justice and the fight against homophobia. Martin, who graduated from Amherst with a double major in Black studies and French, intends to earn a Ph.D. in history or cultural studies and become a university professor.
Christine
Miranda ’15, an American studies and computer science major, has been offered a Fulbright grant to study the West Indian population of Panama, specifically spaces in Panama City that are important to the community’s history and culture. She will assist with the planning of West Indian cultural events and provide technical support for the Museo Afroantillano de Panamá. Miranda’s long-term goals include working with immigrant-rights groups in the U.S., and possibly seeking a higher degree in American or migration studies.
Amar
Mukunda ’15, a computer science and geology major, has been offered a Fulbright grant to research Kamusi, an “online living dictionary” being developed in Switzerland. Kamusi pairs equivalent words in every language, and could significantly improve computerized translation tools, Mukunda said. His project would explore possible obstacles to using Kamusi to aid translation, and test its proposed benefits. Mukunda plans to eventually apply to master’s and Ph.D. programs in computer science, with a focus on natural language processing.
Sophia
Padelford ’15 has been offered a grant as a Fulbright ETA to Bulgaria. She majored in biology and classics at Amherst, and aspires to a career in public health, focusing on improving access to health care among underserved populations.
Swathi Sivasubramanian ’15 has been offered a grant as a Fulbright ETA to Malaysia. Sivasubramanian majored in neuroscience and comes from a family of native Tamil speakers. Interested in education reform, she plans to explore teaching opportunities in American cities and may pursue an interdisciplinary doctorate that synthesizes neuroscience, philosophy and education.
Eric Steinbrook ’15 has been offered a grant as a Fulbright ETA to Malaysia. Steinbrook is graduating Amherst with a double major in biology and English. Following his 10 months teaching in Malaysia, he plans to pursue a career in global health, with a concentration in teaching language skills to trauma victims.
Savannah
West ’15 has been offered a grant as a Fulbright ETA to South Africa. She majored in political science and art history at Amherst. She intends to tap into her experience in South Africa when she returns to her native Chicago, to work in the public education system there. Her goal is a dual graduate degree in education and public policy.
The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, operating out of centers in Moscow, Beirut, Beijing, Brussels and Washington, D.C., was founded in 1910 by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. It is dedicated to advancing cooperation between nations and promoting active international engagement by the United States.
Carnegie’s Junior Fellows Program is designed to provide work experience for students interested in careers in international affairs. Junior Fellows serve as research assistants to senior associates working on the Carnegie Endowment’s projects, which pertain to the Middle East, international economics, Asian affairs, energy and climate issues, and the role of the U.S. in the world. Fellows each receive a $35,000 annual salary. About 10–12 fellowships are awarded each year.
Jeffrey Feldman ’15, an economics major, will be a Junior Fellow in Carnegie’s Energy and Climate program. “The place that I call home, will, within my lifetime, be submerged under the Atlantic Ocean,” said the Florida native, citing the passion that underlies his interest in efforts to wean human civilization off of fossil fuel. His long-term goal is earning a graduate degree in public policy and becoming a public policy researcher and advocate.
Nik
Nevin ’14, a history major, will be a Junior Fellow at Carnegie’s Middle East program. He is currently wrapping up a year of postgraduate study at the Center for Advanced Arabic Study at American University in Cairo. He is interested in Islamism and education reform in the Arab world.
