Nine OU Grads Awarded 2019–2020 Fulbright Scholarships

The College of International Studies is proud to announce that nine recent University of Oklahoma graduates have received Fulbright grants for the 2019-2020 academic year! The Fulbright Program offers one of the country’s most prestigious grants funding study, research and teaching abroad, and it is awarded to around 1,900 students annually based on academic excellence and leadership potential. Since 1946, the US State Department Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs has administered the program with the goal of increasing “mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries,” through cultural exchange and study of international issues.

Some of this year’s recipients are recent OU graduates, while others are working toward graduate degrees in various fields. In addition to those profiled below, eight other OU grads were named as alternates, meaning they may be offered an award if funding becomes available. The alternates are David Bartholomew, Danielle Higginbotham, Elisabeth Howell, Paula Allecia Jones, Krisangel Lopez, Elizabeth Penn and Brian Schibler.

“We are exceptionally proud of our students and their talent and hard work, which enabled them to receive these prestigious awards,” stated Bushra Asif, Fulbright program advisor at OU. “These nine grants are an example of our outstanding student body and university. We wish these students all the success in their future academic journey as they go on to represent their hometowns and OU abroad.”

Read on to learn more about our Fulbright winners and their exciting plans!

Noah Collins

Hometown: Verdigris, OK; citizen of the Cherokee Nation

OU Degree: Bachelor’s / Master’s in Anthropology (graduates 2019)

Fulbright Project: Noah will spend the 2019-2020 school year in New Zealand, conducting genetic analysis on indigenous samples of type 2 diabetes and gout.

Sara Fisher

Hometown: Oklahoma City

OU Degree: Master’s in International Studies (graduates 2019)

Fulbright Project: Sara will spend the 2019-2020 school year as an English Teaching Assistant in South Korea.

Elliot Holland

Hometown: Muskogee, OK

OU Degree: Master’s in German (in progress)

Fulbright Project: Elliot will spend the 2019-2020 school year as an English Teaching Assistant in Germany.

David Louden

Hometown: Noble, OK

OU Degree: Bachelor’s in Russian (graduates 2019)

Fulbright Project: David will spend the 2019-2020 school year as an English Teaching Assistant in Russia.

Andrew Moore

Hometown: Tulsa, OK

OU Degree: Bachelor’s in Psychology (graduated 2017)

Fulbright Project: Andrew will spend the 2019-2020 school year in Aarhus, Denmark, conducting research at The Center for Music in the Brain.

Sierra Smith

Hometown: Owasso, OK

OU Degree: Bachelor’s in Biology (graduates 2019)

Fulbright Project: Sierra will spend the 2019-2020 school year in the Philippines, conducting research on the interrelationships between invasive species and wildlife disease among amphibians.

Trai Spikes

Hometown: Kansas City, MO

OU Degree: PhD in Ecological & Evolutionary Biology (in progress)

Fulbright Project: Trai will spend the 2019-2020 school year in Germany, conducting research on the evolution of mate preference and related behaviors in Caribbean live bearing fish.

Wyatt Stanford

Hometown: Haileyville, OK

OU Degree: Bachelor’s in Public Relations & French (graduated 2018)

Fulbright Project: Wyatt will spend the 2019-2020 school year school year as an English Teaching Assistant in France.

Matthew Walters

Hometown: Willard, MO

OU Degree: Bachelor’s in International Studies & Russian (graduates 2019)

Fulbright Project: Matthew will spend the 2019-2020 school year school year as an English Teaching Assistant in Ukraine.

Are you an OU student or recent grad interested in applying for a Fulbright? Please visit the Fulbright page on the CIS website for more details. The deadline to apply for 2020-2021 is October 8, 2019.