Eleven University of Georgia students received Fulbright offers for the 2025-2026 academic year, placing UGA among the top producing institutions for Fulbright U.S. students for the fourth year in a row.
Of the 11 UGA students and recent alumni who were offered Fulbright awards, five were able to accept. Three are teaching English in countries including France, Spain and Uzbekistan. Two are conducting research; their countries are Indonesia and Laos.
“Being named again a top producer of Fulbrights demonstrates the continued commitment of our students, faculty and staff to international education,” said Maria de Rocher, campus Fulbright U.S. Student Program adviser and assistant dean and director of programming for the Morehead Honors College. “It is a tremendous honor to work with these students, each representing such different academic interests and backgrounds, but all of whom are clearly devoted to serving as cultural ambassadors and increasing our understanding of the wider world.”
The Fulbright U.S. Student Program offers research, study and teaching opportunities in more than 160 countries to recent college graduates and graduate students. As the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, it is designed to increase mutual understanding between the U.S. and countries worldwide.
Among UGA’s recipients, Jacqueline GaNun is currently teaching English at a high school in Saint-Ouen-l’Aumône, a small town northwest of Paris. GaNun, an Honors alumna from Savannah, graduated from UGA in 2023 with bachelor’s degrees in journalism and international affairs and a minor in French and in 2025 with a master’s degree in journalism.
GaNun encourages her students in Saint-Ouen-l’Aumône to speak as much English as they can. She uses group activities and games to help them learn, from pretending they’re on “Shark Tank” to working as news broadcasters. She is also using her background in journalism to help students in three of her classes make podcast episodes.
“I love working with my students,” she said. “It has been so interesting to get to know them and see their confidence in speaking English grow.”
GaNun lives in Paris and takes the train to work. In the evenings and on her days off, she explores the city’s 20 arrondissements, or districts, which gives her the opportunity to practice speaking French.
“Being immersed in a different culture has been such a formative and unique experience, and I know it will inform my future work as a journalist,” GaNun said.
The Morehead Honors College offers assistance to all UGA students and recent graduates interested in participating in the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. The campus deadline for 2027-2028 is tentatively set for Sept. 1, 2026.
The nine UGA students and alumni who received Fulbright offers for 2025-2026 as English teaching assistants are listed below by name, degree concentration and country.
- Mark Adams; international affairs, French; Morocco
- Mackenzie Buck; Russian, political science, public relations; Bulgaria
- Alex Drahos; international affairs, urban studies, political science; Taiwan
- Madison Fulton; Spanish, Russian; Uzbekistan
- Jacqueline GaNun; journalism; France
- Elissa Jones; TESOL and world languages; South Korea
- MaryQuinn Mills; Asian languages and literature, international affairs; Turkey
- Saanvikha Saravanan; biochemistry and molecular biology, Spanish; Spain
- Anna Whaley; history, political science, Spanish; Spain
Two UGA students received Fulbright offers for 2025-2026 for research. They are listed below by name, degree program and country.
- Alyx Bontrager; earning a master’s degree in anthropology; Indonesia
- Gregory Dolezal; earning a doctorate in learning, leadership and organization development; Laos
Since its inception in 1946, more than 400,000 participants from all backgrounds and fields from the U.S. and over 160 other countries have participated in the Fulbright Program. More information about the Fulbright U.S. Student Program is available at https://us.fulbrightonline.org/.
For more information about UGA’s work in helping students apply for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, contact Maria de Rocher at derocher@uga.edu.