Grinnell College Has Been Named a Top Producer of Fulbright U.S. Students

Grinnell College is proud to be named one of the U.S. colleges and universities that produced the most 2023–24 Fulbright U.S. Students. Each year the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) announces the top producing institutions for the Fulbright Program, the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program.

Since 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided over 400,000 talented and accomplished students, scholars, teachers, artists, and professionals of all backgrounds with the opportunity to study, teach, and conduct research abroad. Fulbrighters exchange ideas, build people-to-people connections, and work to address complex global challenges.

“Grinnell College continues to shine as a beacon of academic excellence, earning recognition as a top producer for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. Students come from all across the globe to Grinnell to learn with and from each other and our renowned faculty and staff. Through living and learning in community, they hone their potential for navigating the world’s complexities and contributing to the common good. It is with great pride that we support students whose ingenuity and dedication resonate with the noble ideals of the Fulbright Program, empowering them to effect positive change in their communities and beyond,” said Grinnell College President Anne F. Harris.

Fulbright grantees meet, work, and learn from the people of the host country, sharing daily experiences. The program facilitates cultural exchange through direct interaction in the classroom, office space, research lab, or field in relationship to specific projects, while very importantly in the community and through daily life experiences. This allows grantees to gain an appreciation of others’ viewpoints and beliefs, the way they do things, and the way they think, and to foster mutual understanding and exchange.

“The Fulbright Program offers global opportunities for graduating seniors and alumni in all disciplines,” said Ann Landstrom, Fulbright Program adviser (FPA) and assistant dean and director of global fellowships and awards in Center for Careers, Life, and Service. “Grinnell’s commitment to intellectual curiosity, global understanding, critical thinking, and the exchange of ideas is a strong foundation for success in receiving these awards, and the alumni return from their journey having made a distinct impression upon the communities they serve and acquired preparation for the next steps of their professional lives.”

2023–24 Fulbright Grant Recipients

Five Grinnellians received Fulbright Grants for the 2023–24 academic year. This places the College among the top 33 of its peer institutions for Fulbright U.S. students and is the 14th time Grinnell College has been recognized as a Fulbright Top Producing Institution since 2009–10. Grinnell College’s recent Fulbright grantees are engaging in research, study, and teaching in Poland, Colombia, Taiwan, and Germany.

• Connor Arneson ’23, a history major from Minneapolis, Minnesota, is working in Warsaw, Poland, where he is researching the role of digital media in shaping historical narratives, with a particular focus on YouTube and museums. His project title is Virtual Narratives: Digital Media and Poland’s Past.

• Xonzy Gaddis ’22, December 2022 graduate and a political science major with a Latin American studies concentration, was selected for a Fulbright English teaching assistantship in Colombia. Gaddis serves as a language-teaching assistant for Colombian students at the university level on the island of San Andrés, preparing English language lessons and activities and giving presentations on topics related to the United States.

• Isabella “Ella” Maloney ’23, a sociology and Chinese double major from West Chester, Pennsylvania, was selected for a Fulbright English teaching assistantship in Taiwan. Ella supports English language education and cultural exchange at elementary and junior high schools near Luodong in Yilan County.

• Alexandra “Lexi” Mueldener ’23, an anthropology and Spanish double major from Arvada, Colorado, was selected for a Fulbright English teaching assistantship in Colombia. Mueldener serves as a language-teaching assistant for Colombian students at the university level in Pasto, preparing English language lessons and activities and giving presentations on topics related to the United States.

• Ella Unal ’23, a German studies major from Springfield, Illinois, was selected for a Fulbright English teaching assistantship in Germany. Unal teaches English language and American studies at at school in Constance, Baden-Württemberg.

The Fulbright competition is administered at Grinnell College through the Global Fellowships and Awards (GFA) program in the Center for Careers, Life, and Service (CLS). View the list of Grinnell College’s Fulbright U.S. Student Grantees since 2005.

The application process is beginning for a 2025–26 grant year, and Landstrom invites current students and alumni to visit with her about the opportunities in over 140 countries. The GFA program will hold several information sessions and workshops this spring to discuss the opportunities and application process. Sarah Strommen ’95 will also share their journey of applying for and receiving a Fulbright U.S. Student research grant on Thursday, March 7, from 4–5 pm.

About the Fulbright Program and Top Producer Awards

“Fulbright’s Top Producing Institutions represent the diversity of America’s higher education community. Dedicated administrators support students and scholars at these institutions to fulfill their potential and rise to address tomorrow’s global challenges. We congratulate them, and all the Fulbrighters who are making an impact the world over,” said Lee Satterfield, assistant secretary of state for educational and cultural affairs.

Fulbright is a program of the U.S. Department of State, with funding provided by the U.S. Government. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations, and foundations around the world also provide direct and indirect support to the program.

Fulbright alumni work to make a positive impact on their communities, sectors, and the world and have included 41 heads of state or government, 62 Nobel Laureates, 89 Pulitzer Prize–winners, 80 MacArthur Fellows, and countless leaders and changemakers who build mutual understanding between the people of the United State and the people of other countries.

Visit the Fulbright Program website for more information.