Top row, from left: Oleander Reagan-Artemis, Julie Goonetilleke and Jessica Poe. Bottom row, from left: Anna Yarbro, Sarah Marc, Jared Steiman and Lola Oke.
Seven University of Tennessee at Chattanooga students or recent graduates have advanced to the semifinal level in the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program award process, the highest total in the university’s history.
The semifinalists include senior Lola Oke, a political science major and Brock Scholar in the Honors College, and 2020 graduate Jared Steiman—who currently works within the UTC Center for Community Career Education as a GEAR UP program coordinator.
“Moving forward through the National Screening Committee and becoming a semifinalist is a challenging and significant accomplishment,” said Leslie Pusey, director of the UTC Office of National Scholarships.
“Getting to this stage is CV or resume noteworthy.
You’re on the next step to one of the oldest and more prestigious international awards.”
Ms. Oke, a 2019 graduate of Campbell High School in Smyrna, Ga., is a semifinalist for an open study/research award to Kenya. She has won numerous national competitive scholarships at UTC, most recently the Charles B. Rangel Graduate Fellowship.
Mr. Steiman, who received two bachelor’s degrees, one in humanities: international studies and another in creative writing, applied for a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship (ETA) in Mexico. Participants in the ETA program assist in teaching English while representing the U.S. as cultural ambassadors. The host institutions span from kindergarten to the university level to training institutes.
“This is something I’ve been wanting to do for years,” said Mr. Steiman, who has continued his UTC education; he is pursuing a master’s in creative writing and is on a prose track. “I’ve always loved teaching and I’m the oldest of four siblings, so I was always the tutor growing up.”
A Chattanooga native and alumnus of the Center for Creative Arts, Mr. Steiman has added motivation for desiring this particular study abroad opportunity: his wife, Alondra Gomez Nuñez, hails from Michoacán, Mexico.
Julie Goonetilleke (Cleveland, Tn.), a December 2022 graduate, Tennessee, also applied for the ETA to Mexico. The double major (Spanish and international studies) received a Gilman Scholarship in 2022 and participated in a study abroad experience in Alcala de Henares, Spain.
Sara Marc (Chattanooga), who received a bachelor’s degree in modern and classical languages and literatures in August 2022, is a semifinalist for the ETA to France. France. Ms. Marc is a graduate of Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences.
Oleander Reagan-Artemis (Sevierville, Tn.), a May 2022 graduate with a degree in modern and classical languages and literatures, is a semifinalist for the ETA to Romania.
Anna Yarbro (Decaturville, Tn.), who graduated in May 2022 with degrees in communication and humanities: international studies, is a semifinalist for the Fulbright Korean Studies Graduate Degree Program.
Jessica Poe (Nolensville, Tn.), who received a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education in 2017, has applied for a Fulbright Master’s Award to Spain.
The Fulbright Program,
according to its website, is the flagship international academic exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government, providing awards to approximately 8,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists and professionals each year. Founded in 1946, the prestigious program has partnerships with more than 140 countries worldwide.
Eligible applicants are reviewed first in the U.S. by the National Screening Committee before being recommended to the in-country administering agency—either a Fulbright Commission or U.S. Embassy.