Clemson celebrates five Fulbright Scholars

May 30, 2023August 7, 2023

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect that on July 5, 2023, a final result was received for Bosnia and Herzegovina, bringing the total number of Fulbright students selected by Clemson from four to five.

Three recent Clemson graduates and two alumni have received prestigious Fulbright scholarships that facilitate cultural exchange, learning, research and service opportunities between U.S. students and communities around the world.

I would like to congratulate these students and alumni for obtaining these highly competitive scholarships and for working to transform lives beyond our borders. We are proud of their accomplishments and the impact they will have in the world.

ROBERT JONES, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF ACADEMIC AFFAIRS AND PROVOST

THE Fulbright Student Program in the United States is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and its 140 participating countries. Recipients are selected based on their academic or professional achievements and demonstrated leadership potential in fields.

During the application process, students decide which country they want to go to and whether they plan to pursue graduate studies, conduct independent research, or teach English through an assistantship.

Four of the Clemson scholarship recipients received English teaching assistant positions. The fifth is to enroll in a graduate program.

Scholarship students

Graduated with distinction Elizabeth Marie Chiarovano (’23) obtained a position as a teaching assistant in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Majoring in political science and religious studies, she traveled to the region as part of a study abroad in the Western Balkans in summer 2022. The group visited five countries and met with senior government officials, non-governmental organizations and students. Chiarovano’s experience in Bosnia and Herzegovina in particular left a lasting impact and sparked interest in working in the field of international law and foreign policy. She has also participated in several leadership roles on campus, working as a residential assistant, serving as an active member of the Freshman Council of Student Government and University Senate, and helping to plan the Women’s Conference. in Leadership 2021-2022. Given the timing of the awards, she had already accepted an invitation to attend Yale Divinity School’s Master of Arts in Religion program with a concentration in ethics this fall.

Carter Janse (’23) graduated majoring in computer science with a minor in Spanish studies. He got a job as an English teaching assistant to return to Valencia, Spain, after working as a research assistant at the Polytechnic University of Valencia last summer. While there, he hopes to explore collaboration opportunities with the university’s Research Institute of Automation and Industrial Computing. His goal is to combine his computer science background, teaching experience, and fluency in Spanish to teach basic programming skills to Valencian students, including coordinating a hackathon at the end of the year. He also plans to participate in the Valencian language exchange program. Janse served as president of the Clemson University Spanish Club and worked as an undergraduate teaching assistant in the School of Computing before completing his degree in three years.

Molly Sutton (’23) majoring in political science with a minor in history. She received a position as an English teaching assistant in Serbia, where she traveled for a study abroad experience last summer. During this trip, she attended meetings with government officials in Serbia and other countries of the former Yugoslavia and also took courses at the Faculty of Political Science at the University of Belgrade. These discussions and experiences inspired Sutton to become interested in how government actions, ethnic violence and major conflicts affect civilians. While in Serbia, Sutton plans to study the lingering effects of the Yugoslav Wars on the country’s population and future generations. A licensed pilot, Sutton was a member of the Clemson campus Flying Club, the Balkans Foundation and Silver Wings. Sutton has also served as a teaching assistant for several political science courses and a research assistant for an investigation into foreign government disinformation campaigns on social media.

Former scholarship holders

Kendra Gordillo (’21) was an honors student and major in genetics with a minor in philosophy at Clemson. Her Fulbright/Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam scholarship will help cover living expenses associated with graduate study at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. She plans to enroll in two master’s programs – the first in philosophy, bioethics and health, and the second in global health research. A violist, she will also audition for the university orchestra. Gordillo was the first-ever recipient of the Rutland Institute for Ethics’ Distinguished Ethics Scholar Award in 2021 for her work promoting ethics education on campus. Since graduating, she has worked as an English assistant in Spain and as a research assistant and science editor for nymbly, a healthcare technology services company. She currently works for High Lantern Group as a Summer Associate, participating in projects for the Global Coalition on Aging and the AMR (Antimicrobial Resistance) Industry Alliance.

Alianna Cezzane Pearson (’22) majoring in Spanish with a minor in wildlife and fisheries biology. She landed a teaching assistantship in Argentina, where she studied abroad as a Gilman Scholar before her experience was interrupted by COVID-19 in 2020. Cheerleading and gymnastics coach, Pearson plans to apply similar principles to language training – encouraging its students to master the fundamentals, strengthen foundational skills and practice. She also hopes to use her Latin dance experience to engage her students. She currently works as a professional tutor to high school students and volunteers as a Spanish interpreter with a legal aid society, helping people with language barriers find the support they need.

The National Selection Committee recommended three additional semi-finalists from the selected countries for the final selection. They are Gracie Boyce (economics, ’23), Micah Jordan (bioengineering, ’23) and Patrick Macalintal (nursing, ’22).

Students interested in the Fulbright American Student Program or other nationally competitive programs should contact the Office of Major Scholarships at 864-656-9704 or scholarships@clemson.edu.