Elon students and alumnae selected for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program

Four members of the Class of 2024 and one member of the Class of 2023 have been selected to teach English, conduct independent research or earn a graduate degree abroad through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. Four have been selected as alternates.

The largest exchange program in the country, the Fulbright U.S. Student Program awards approximately 2,200 grants annually in all fields of study. Recent graduates and graduate students undertake graduate study, advanced research, and English teaching worldwide. Founded in 1946, the Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and people of other countries.

Elon has been repeatedly recognized for the number of its alumni who participate in the Fulbright Program as teachers and researchers and has been named a top-producer of Fulbright students in six separate years. This year, The National and International Fellowships Office supported the largest cohort of Fulbright applicants in Elon’s history: 34 applicants.

Elon students and alumni interested in the Fulbright program or other nationally competitive fellowships are invited to contact the National and International Fellowships Office.

Those who received awards this year are:

Leah Schwarz ’24

A psychology and Spanish double major with a minor in Latin American studies, Leah Schwarz has been selected for a Fulbright grant to teach English in Spain. She is from Hudson, Ohio.

At Elon, Schwarz was an Elon College Fellow who spent two years researching Latinx student experiences in higher education. She also served as a student representative for the Latin American Studies Board, and as a Spanish tutor. She is a member of Sigma Iota Rho and Sigma Delta Pi honor societies.
“I applied to Spain because I studied abroad in Sevilla in Spring 2023 and instantly felt at home,” she said. “I loved the Spanish way of life, the relationships I made with locals and the emphasis on working to live, not living to work. I applied to Fulbright because, while abroad, I was a student English teacher at an elementary school and had so much fun working with the students. I loved the way the children were so excited to learn English and I was blown away with how much they knew.”

In the future, Schwarz plans to pursue a doctorate in psychology to become a clinical psychologist. Steve Braye and Leyla Savloff have been Schwarz’s most influential Elon mentors.

Nellie Garrison ’24

Nellie Garrison, an English Literature major with minors in Spanish and Communications, has received a Fulbright grant to teach English in Spain. From Staunton, Virginia, Garrison was the director of diversity, equity and inclusion for her sorority, worked extensively with Campus Recreation and Wellness, and served as the co-president of Sigma Tau Delta, the national English Honor Society. She is also a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

Garrison became inspired to pursue an English Teaching Assistantship (ETA) after her semester abroad in Spain. “I applied for Fulbright because of my passion for cross-cultural education that I developed while studying and teaching in Sevilla. My interest in instructing English as a second language first grew after working with adults at Alamance Community College during a TESOL (Teaching English as a Second Language) course my junior year. I look forward to working in Madrid for the chance to work with a diverse community of learners,” she says.

Teaching English through the Fulbright program is the first step in Garrison’s journey to a career as a dual-language educator and potential lawyer. Regardless of what she does, her aim is to “create welcoming environments where people from diverse backgrounds can learn and grow together”—a mission that will no doubt be strengthened through her time as an English Teaching Assistant.

Garrison’s most influential Elon mentors include April Post, Jennifer Eidum and Dinidu Karunanayake.

Britt Mobley ‘24

A strategic communications and outdoor leadership and education double major, Britt Mobley has received a Fulbright grant to teach English in the Czech Republic. He is from Raleigh, North Carolina.

At Elon, Mobley was an Odyssey Scholar and a Communications Fellow, served as the Student Government Association Student Body President and worked as the course director on the ELOA Challenge Course. Fulbright is a natural extension of his deep involvement, and he was drawn to the program in part for its definition of holistic student success. “Honestly, I applied out of spite,” he says. “I applied to challenge my own fears and doubt about being good enough and having the most pristine academic record.”

Mobley’s strong, holistic undergraduate career has prepared him well to serve as an ETA at the Business, Hospitality and Vocational School Tabor in Tabor, Czech Republic. After his Fulbright year, he plans to attend the University of North Carolina-Charlotte to earn his doctorate in organizational sciences.

Mobley’s Elon mentors include Evan Small and Israel Balderas, who have acted as cheerleaders and advocates “for [his] academic record and what [he is] truly capable of as a student, even though [his] transcript doesn’t fully portray that.”

Trevor Molin ’23

Trevor Molin, a political science major and member of the Class of 2023, has received a Fulbright grant to pursue a master’s degree in philosophy from Memorial University of Newfoundland in Canada. Molin has spent the past year at the London School of Economics earning their first master’s degree in Gender Studies. During their time at Elon, Molin served on the Student Government Association, worked in the Gender and LGBTQIA+ Center as the inaugural Healthy Masculinities & Relationships student assistant, and coordinated and directed Elon Volunteers.

Molin was inspired to reapply for Fulbright after being named a semifinalist for a Fulbright grant to the United Kingdom last year. “In all honesty, after going through the process last round, part of my decision to apply this time was just from how useful the process itself was, especially as I was looking to apply to graduate programs anyway,” they explain. Embarking on the process a second time led Molin to Canada and Memorial University, where they are eager to engage with new scholars and explore the natural beauty of Newfoundland.

This degree from Memorial, paired with Molin’s first graduate degree from the London School of Economics, will no doubt pave the way for a promising academic career. “I hope to pursue a PhD in an interdisciplinary, theory-based program and hopefully go on to become a professor,” they say. “Who knows what will happen, but I know for certain I want to teach theory, we’ll see where that will take me though!”

Molin’s constellation of Elon mentors includes Jodean Schmiederer, Lauren Guilmette and Liza Taylor.

Eliana Olivier ’24

With majors in environmental and ecological sciences and Spanish and a minor in Latin American Studies, Eliana Olivier has received a Fulbright grant to teach English in Colombia. The Honors Fellow and Periclean Scholar is from Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Pursuing an ETA in Colombia is a natural extension of Olivier’s Elon involvement. Internationally, she spent a semester abroad in the Dominican Republic. Back on campus, she served as an environmental justice intern with the Office of Sustainability. “I applied to the program in Colombia because I was excited about the opportunity to engage with a new culture and because of my interest in the Spanish language and Latin America, specifically,” she explains. “I also applied because of all of the ecological diversity of Colombia, and I thought it would be a great place to further pursue my environmental interests.”

Olivier’s Elon mentors include Kelly Harer and Ricardo Mendoza. “I have had so many incredible professors and mentors who have helped me to succeed and grow in the past four years,” she says. In the future, she plans to attend graduate school.

In addition to these students, five seniors and alumnae have been named alternates for various Fulbright grants. Alternates are still in the competition and have the chance to be promoted to finalists (recipients of the grant) up until the official start of the grant period. We will update this story as we continue to hear news of their progress.

Those who were selected as alternates are:

Heeba Chergui ’22

An alumna from the Class of 2022, Heeba Chergui has been selected as an alternate for a Fulbright grant to teach English in Albania for the second time. Earlier this year, Chergui was selected as one of Elon’s first Rangel Graduate Fellows.

At Elon, Chergui majored in international and global studies, minored in leadership studies and was a Leadership Fellow. She dedicated her academic and experiential pursuits to the study of the Middle East and North Africa and received the Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship to study abroad in Amman, Jordan, where she interned with a peacebuilding nongovernment organization. These experiences were invaluable in helping her to receive the Rangel Graduate Fellowship, which will train and prepare her for a career in the Foreign Service through the State Department.

Her Elon mentors include Kevin Bourque, LD Russell, Sandy Marshall and Maritza Gulin.

Bethany Marzella ’24

Bethany Marzella, a member of the Class of 2024 with a major in international and global studies and six minors (peace and conflict studies, political science, interreligious studies, geography, Islamic studies, and Middle East studies) has been selected as an alternate for a Fulbright research grant to Oman. Marzella’s proposed project in Oman would be a continuation of her undergraduate research on sectarian conflict.

At Elon, Marzella was a Phi Beta Kappa Multifaith Scholar whose work focused on the Middle East. She spent a semester abroad in Amman, Jordan, which she cites as the most influential experience she had while an undergraduate. In the future, she is eager to attend graduate school abroad in a field related to politics and international studies.

Marzella’s constellation of Elon mentors includes Sandy Marshall, Tom Kerr, Summeye Pakdil, Amy Allocco and Allegra Laing.

Sarah Mirrow ’24

An economics and applied mathematics double major and a French minor from the Class of 2024, Sarah Mirrow has been selected as an alternate for a Fulbright grant to pursue a master’s degree in economics from University College Dublin in Ireland. She is from Arlington, Virginia.

At Elon, Mirrow was an Honors Fellow and Lumen Scholar who pursued two years of rigorous research about how access to abortion clinics impacts female educational attainment. She chose to pursue a Fulbright grant in Ireland specifically because the country has experienced abortion legislation upheaval in the past 10 years that presents a unique research opportunity.

Mirrow’s ultimate goal is to pursue a doctorate in economics. Her most influential Elon mentors include Steve Bednar and Karen Yokley.

Claire D. Przybocki ’24

Claire D. Przybocki, a member of the Class of 2024, has been selected as an alternate for a Fulbright grant to teach English in Poland. At Elon, Przybocki was a double major in international and global studies and economics with minors in Islamic studies, interreligious studies, and leadership studies. She was also a Leadership Fellow, a Multifaith Scholar, a Maryland Public Service Scholar, and served as the vice president of Elon’s Arabic Language Organization.

Pryzbocki’s time as a Multifaith Scholar, where she spent two years researching refugee resettlement in Poland, plus her experience working with international nongovernment organizations, motivated her to apply for this grant to teach English in Poland. In the future, she plans to attend graduate school to prepare her for a career in migrant resettlement. Her constellation of Elon mentors includes Brian Pennington, Amy Allocco and Sandy Marshall.