What is Fulbright?
The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international exchange program, offering opportunities for students, teachers, professionals, and scholars to study, teach, lecture, and conduct research in more than 160 countries worldwide; and for their foreign counterparts to engage in similar activities in the U.S. Established by Congress in 1946 and sponsored by the U.S Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the Fulbright Program was created to increase mutual understanding between the people of the U.S and people of other countries. Since then, more than 360,000 Fulbrighters have participated in the Program, which now awards approximately 8,000 grants annually.
Fulbright Scholar Program
Designed for college and university faculty, administrators, and researchers, as well as artists and professionals, the Scholar Program enables recipients to travel out of their home countries in order to build skills and networks that make meaningful contributions to communities in different fields. The Scholar Program sends approximately 800 U.S. scholars abroad and receives 900 visiting scholars to the U.S. annually.
Fulbright U.S. Student Program
Targeting a wide range of academic disciplines for graduating college seniors, graduate students, and early-career professionals from different backgrounds, the Student Program offers recipients the opportunity to pursue graduate study, conduct research, or teach English abroad.
2025-2026 Fulbright U.S. Student Program Recipients
Genevieve Thévenin
ETA, Zambia
Genevieve Thévenin is from Yonkers, NY, and recently completed her master's in Higher and Postsecondary Education at Teachers College (TC), Columbia University. She currently serves as a Career Coach at TC NEXT. Genevieve has been selected as a Fulbright Scholar to teach English in Zambia as an English Teaching Assistant (ETA). With over ten years of experience supporting college and pre-college students, she brings a strong background in education to this role. Genevieve will either be placed at a university or work directly with educators, and may also have the opportunity to collaborate with the U.S. Embassy in Zambia to support career education initiatives.
Through research and conversations with past Zambia Fulbright Scholars, Genevieve has learned that career guidance is crucial for supporting university students in Zambia. Her goals for the Fulbright ETA are to expand her expertise in supporting English language learners and to engage students by integrating career exploration into their language studies. Looking ahead, Genevieve is excited to continue her work with adult learners as an English language instructor and to further expand her engagement with international student populations.
Sierra Cazassa
ETA, Mexico
Hello! My name is Sierra Cazassa and I recently graduated in May with my master’s in International and Comparative Education from Teachers College. Prior to moving to New York City, I studied Language Education and Spanish at Boston University, gaining licensure to teach ESL, Spanish, and Social Studies. With family roots in Brazil, I am particularly interested in education for migrants and I bring more than 6 years of experience teaching languages to refugee and immigrant students in the U.S., Spain, and Brazil. For the past two years, I have led the Youth ESOL Program at the International Rescue Committee in New York.
For my upcoming Fulbright in Mexico, I will be placed at a vocational university in Otzolotepec with an English Teaching Assistant grant. Mexico champions one of the world's most unique networks of multilingual universities, where students can develop academic and professional language skills preparing them for a number of futures. Closely connected with my goals as an ESL teacher in the United States, I am excited to learn from Mexico's educators and students about how bilingual knowledge is encouraged, developed, and sustained. I chose to apply to Fulbright not only for the immersive linguistic and cultural aspect of living and working in Mexico, but because I am certain this time will help me develop my skills as an educator upon my return to the United States.