NEW: Holy Cross Alumni to Study, Teach Overseas

Wednesday, June 06, 2012

GoLocalWorcester News Team

Fulbright grants have been awarded to 11 Holy Cross grads to work and teach abroad in the 2012-13 school year. It marks a record high number of Fulbrights awarded for one year at the college.

The recipients are Joseph Cavanaugh of Plymouth, Mattea Cumoletti of Guilderland, N.Y., Caroline Galiatsos of West Springfield, Daniel Geiger of Maple Plain, Minn., Eliza Gettel of Merrimack, N.H., Heidi Grek of Auburn, Maria Jaroszewicz of East Longmeadow, Jaeyeon Lee of Norwood, Courtney Lesoon of Pittsburgh, George Matthews of Westwood and Peter Renehan of Cheshire, Conn.

They will be headed to Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Korea, Luxembourg, Poland, Spain, Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

"I am very excited not only with the places and the numbers but also with overall participation," said Anthony Cashman, director of Distinguished Fellowships and Graduate Studies at the College. "We have record numbers in total number of applicants, 55, and finalists, 28. I have already met with many in the class of 2013, and I look forward to working with this year's candidates. In the end, the most important aspect of our Fulbright accomplishment is that the individuals who participate in this process learn a lot about themselves and their futures. And for the students who win, the Fulbright is a life-changing experience. Fulbrighters are not tourists. They become bona fide members of the communities in which they live, study, and work, and they gain every bit as much as they contribute."

Holy Cross has received 54 Fulbright awards since 2003 and, according to college officials, has consistently been among the nation’s top producers of Fulbright students at the undergraduate level.

The Fulbright Program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, is widely recognized as the most prestigious international exchange program in the world. The highly competitive grants are awarded on the basis of academic merit and professional promise.

Each year approximately 1,000 college students are awarded grants through the Fulbright Program. Fulbright grants are made to U.S. citizens and nationals of other countries for a variety of educational activities, primarily university lecturing, advanced research, graduate study and teaching in elementary and secondary schools. Since the program’s inception in 1946, more than 300,000 participants have had the opportunity to observe each other’s political, economic and cultural institutions.