USC again named a top producer of U.S. Fulbright students and scholars

USC on Tuesday was named a top producer of U.S. Fulbright scholars and students for 2024-25. Just 19 institutions were recognized as top producers for both prestigious programs this year.

Twenty-four USC students and recent alumni accepted Fulbright U.S. Student Program grants, while four faculty members and two graduate students accepted Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program grants. The Fulbright programs, funded primarily by the U.S. Department of State, provide grants for individually designed study/research projects or for English teaching assistant programs.

“The success of Fulbright culture at USC is a testament to our core value of academic excellence that fosters real-world, global impact,” USC Provost Andrew T. Guzman said. “Each year, I look forward to seeing many of our esteemed student and faculty scholars chosen for the Fulbright, and this year is no exception. I hope to continue our mission of world-renowned scholarship with honors of this caliber as we look to the future.”

The Fulbright programs provide the opportunity for recipients to expand their perspective, connect with others and improve their understanding of different cultures and countries. Each year, more than 2,000 students, early-career professionals and artists are provided a one-year Fulbright grant.

The Fulbright programs are the U.S. government’s flagship international academic exchange effort. Since 1946, the Fulbright programs have provided more than 400,000 grants and scholarships to participants who are chosen for their academic merit and leadership qualities.

2024-25 USC Fulbright students

USC students applying for Fulbright are supported by the university’s Academic Honors and Fellowships unit. These are USC’s participants in the 2024-25 Fulbright U.S. Student Program:

Arthur Bookstein will graduate in May with a Doctor in Medicine degree from the Keck School of Medicine of USC. Bookstein won a Fulbright Open Study/Research Award to Japan, where he plans to research the impact of social determinants of health on viral-related liver cancer. After his Fulbright work, Bookstein intends on pursuing post-graduate training in Combined Internal Medicine and Pediatrics and later pursue a career as a medical oncologist, cancer researcher and policy advocate.

Eric Bui graduated in May 2024 with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, Politics and Law. Bui won an English Teaching Assistant Award to Vietnam. While in Vietnam, Bui plans to serve as a Vietnamese American cultural ambassador and work with gifted Vietnamese high school students in Bac Giang province. After his Fulbright work, Bui plans to pursue a JD-PhD and intends to work in the intersection of constitutional and immigration jurisprudence as an appellate attorney.

Vian Bui graduated in May 2024 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in finance. Bui won an English Teaching Assistant Award to Vietnam, where she also plans to teach financial literacy to the local community. After completing her Fulbright work, Bui will work in investment banking in New York.

Giancarlo Ceja graduated in May 2024 with a Bachelor of Art in Environmental Studies and International Relations, and a minor in Web Technologies and Applications. He won an English Teaching Assistant Award to South Korea. Ceja is interested in pursuing a career in environmental justice, pushing mitigation policy that protects disadvantaged communities who are most at risk to the climate crisis.

Samantha Chacko graduated in May 2024 with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, Politics and Law, along with two minors, in Law and Public Policy and in Musical Studies: Classical Voice. Chacko was awarded the Fulbright-Nehru Open Study/Research Award to analyze women’s access to legal aid in Bangalore, India. Upon completing her Fulbright project, Chacko plans to attend law school and pursue a career working to increase access to justice.

Hunter Cibula completed his work at USC in December 2023 with a Bachelor of Arts in Cinema and Media Studies. Cibula was awarded the Fulbright Open Study/Research Award to Argentina, where he will create two short-form documentaries that illustrate the urgency of global warming as a national and global issue through the communities of the Andes who are directly grappling with its consequences. After his Fulbright work, Cibula intends to continue pursuing a career in documentary filmmaking, unveiling untold stories about the world’s landscapes and cultures.

Kristin Nguyen Dickson graduated in May 2024 with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, Politics and Law and minors in Spanish and Theater. Dickson won an English Teaching Assistant Award to Vietnam. After her Fulbright work, Dickson hopes to continue her education and pursue a law degree.

Phong Doozy graduated in May 2024 with a Bachelor of Arts in Health and Human Sciences, with an emphasis on aging, and minors in Comedy (Performance) and Psychology and Law, integrating his passion for humor into healthcare and academic endeavors. He has also graduate with a master’s in Health Administration. Doozy has been awarded an English Teaching Assistant Award to Vietnam, where he will contribute his skills in education and health. Following his Fulbright experience, Doozy is committed to a career in health administration, focusing on enhancing access and quality of care for patients from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.

Quinn Driver graduated from USC in May 2020 with a Bachelor of Science in Public Policy. Driver won an English Teaching Assistant Award to Malawi. Driver will use her experience as a teacher at the Girls Athletic Leadership School Los Angeles and teach English abroad to engage the community through dance and sports. After Fulbright, Driver intends to continue her career in education and educational leadership.

Kylie Eiselstein graduated in May 2023 with a Bachelor of Art in Cinema and Media Studies and a minor in Philosophy. Eiselstein won an English Teaching Assistant Award in Indonesia and plans to integrate her experience in media to introduce lesser-known films and demonstrate the vastness of the entertainment industry. After her Fulbright work, Eiselstein plans to continue her path as an educator and teach English and history.

Gemma Fa-Kaji graduated May 2024 with a Master of Arts in Teaching, after earning Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics and a minor in Chinese in 2023. Fa-Kaji was awarded an English Teaching Assistant Award to Taiwan, where she plans to engage with Taiwan’s indigenous communities, introduce students to international diaspora cultures through her Asian American heritage, and promote low pressure classroom environments using play and collaboration. After her Fulbright work, Fa-Kaji plans to return to the U.S. to teach in schools with a high percentage of English language learners.

Gaveen Godage graduated in May 2024 with a Bachelor of Science in Human Biology and a Master of Science in Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine. Godage won a Fulbright Research Award to Germany, where he will be studying the genetic basis of congenital heart disease using stem cells from patients. After Fulbright, Godage plans to pursue a career in medicine, focusing on international collaborations to improve care for children with heart defects around the world.

Sasha Hussain graduated in May 2023 with a Bachelor of Arts in Health and Human Sciences. Hussain won an English Teaching Assistant award to South Korea, where she plans to start a local lacrosse team to introduce students to the transformative power of the outdoors. After her Fulbright work, she will pursue a career in medicine to address health disparities and strengthen social structures that emphasize preventative measures.

Sarra Hussien graduated in May 2024 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, and a minor in Psychology. Hussien won an English Teaching Assistant Award to Kenya. After Fulbright, Hussien plans to attend law school and specialize in immigration law, furthering her commitment to refugee advocacy.

Aditi Jagannathan graduated in May 2024 with a Bachelor of Science in Computational Neuroscience and two minors in Artificial Intelligence Applications and Gender and Social Justice. Jagannathan won an Open Research Award to the Netherlands, where she will be researching transcriptional signatures of Alzheimer’s disease resilience and vulnerability. After her Fulbright work, Jagannathan plans to attend graduate school and work in the neurotechnology industry determining possible treatments for neurodegenerative diseases.

Nivea Krishnan graduated in May 2024 with a Bachelor of Science in Public Policy and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics. Krishnan won an English Teaching Assistant Award to Spain. After the Fulbright work, Krishnan plans to attend law school and build a career in public interest litigation, with a specific interest in protecting civil rights and liberties for traditionally underrepresented communities.

Kira Liljegren graduated May 2024 with a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and minors in German and Theater. Liljegren won an English Teaching Assistant Award to Germany. After Fulbright, Liljegren plans to attend law school and eventually work in human rights defense.

Kevin Lu graduated in December 2022 with a Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations and minor in Social Entrepreneurship. He received a Fulbright Open Study/Research Award to Estonia to investigate Estonia’s climate technology, its impact on achieving net zero emissions and how these innovations can be further adopted across various markets. After completing a Fulbright grant, Lu plans to pursue graduate school in the sustainable business field.

Liliana Ruvalcaba graduated in May 2024 with a Bachelor of Arts in Health and Human Sciences and minors in Health Care Studies and Natural Science, as well as a Master of Arts in Medical Gerontology. Ruvalcaba won a Fulbright Open Study/Research Award to Colombia where she will pursue research in Global Health, specifically on improving access to health care for older adults in Bogotá. After Fulbright, Ruvalcaba plans to pursue a career in medicine, focusing on geriatric medicine.

Shourav Saha graduated in May 2024 with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry with a concentration in Chemical Biology. Saha received a Fulbright Open Study/Research Award to Switzerland, where he will use synchrotron and X-ray free electron lasers at the Paul Scherrer Institute for time-resolved crystallographic studies of biomolecules relevant to cancer. After his Fulbright work, Saha will pursue a doctorate in Chemistry at the University of Chicago, focusing on ultrafast spectroscopy.

Ananya Shah graduated from USC in May 2023 with a Bachelor of Arts in Narrative Studies and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Economy, with a minor in Screenwriting. She received an English Assistance Teaching Award to the Slovak Republic. She hopes to use the experience in the Fulbright program to continue a career in education, specializing in educational leadership and policy.

Natalie Sipula graduated in May 2023 with a Bachelor of Art in Philosophy, Politics and Law and Spanish. She received an English Assistant Teaching Award to Colombia. After returning from Colombia, Sipula wants to attend law school and pursue a career as a government attorney, focusing on the Latin American region.

Nicole Song graduated in May 2023 with a Bachelor of Arts in Cognitive Science and minors in User Experience and in Education and Society, and in May 2024 with a Master of Science in Digital Social Media. Song won an English Teaching Assistant Award to Taiwan. After her Fulbright work, Song plans to work in the entertainment industry as a researcher, identifying trends to enhance education technology for children.

Hanna Sun Teerman graduated in May 2024 with a Bachelor of Art in International Relations and a minor in Business Law. Teerman received an English Teaching Assistant Award to Taiwan. After her Fulbright work, she plans to attend law school and work at the intersection of law, human rights and technology.

2024-25 USC Fulbright scholars

Jordan Chancellor (doctoral candidate, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences) will study biology at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands, Spain.

Jenifer Crawford (professor, USC Rossier School of Education) will study education at Universidad Veracruzana in Veracruz, Mexico.

Katie Googe (graduate student, USC Dornsife) will study literature at Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic.

Nina Kang (lecturer, Bovard College) will study language discipline at The University of Jordan in Amman.

Serghei Mangul (assistant professor, USC Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences) will study biology at Technical University of Moldova in Chișinău.

Jessica Marglin (professor, USC Dornsife) will study history at Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales in Paris.