Pitt has been named a 2023-24 Fulbright Top Producer

The University of Pittsburgh has been named a Fulbright Top Producing Institution for U.S. Students for the 2023-24 academic year by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

Since the 2013-14 cycle, Pitt has earned this prestigious accolade nine times and has produced 114 Fulbrighters.

“I’m proud that the University of Pittsburgh has again been recognized as a Fulbright top producer,” said Chancellor Joan Gabel. “Expanding this world-class distinction and our overall global footprint are important priorities not just for our developing Plan for Pitt 2028, but for ensuring that anything is possible at Pitt.”

The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government's flagship international academic exchange program. Since 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided over 400,000 talented and accomplished students, scholars, teachers, artists and professionals of all backgrounds and fields with the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research abroad. Fulbrighters exchange ideas to build mutual understanding and find solutions to critical global issues.  

“It is an incredible accomplishment for Pitt to once again be recognized as a Top Fulbright Producer, and this reflects the extraordinary strengths of our students and faculty and the depth of our collective commitment to global learning and engagement,” said Nicola Foote, dean of the David C. Frederick Honors College. “I am so proud of all of our Fulbright recipients and grateful for the exemplary work of Lesha Greene in stewarding them so effectively through the complex application process.”

Greene is the Frederick Honors College’s director of national scholarships and post-graduation success and leads the Office of National Scholarships with the goal of preparing all Pitt students and recent graduates as they apply and interview for competitive national and international awards.

“It’s an honor to once again be named a Fulbright Top Producer,” said Greene. “This accolade is a testament to not only the hard work put in by the Pitt applicants but also the level of talent that exists across campus and beyond. I look forward to supporting more Pitt Fulbright winners through the application process.”

This year’s Pitt Fulbright scholars are all recent graduates and began their fellowships in the fall. They represent several Pitt schools, including the College of General Studies, Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, Frederick Honors College and School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences.

Meet Pitt’s 2023-24 Fulbright recipients

Annika Agarwal of Marlboro, New Jersey, received a Bachelor of Arts in anthropology with a minor in chemistry and a certificate in global health. During her Fulbright, she is researching menstrual disposal practices and attitudes in Mumbai, India.

Jasmine Al Rasheed of Irwin, Pennsylvania, earned a Bachelor of Philosophy in international and area studies with a double major in sociology and minors in German and statistics. At Pitt, Al Rasheed was vice president of the Multiracial Student Association and social chair of the Muslim Student Association. She is researching public health in relation to gender and religion in Morocco.

Kush Batra of New Brunswick, New Jersey, graduated with a joint bachelor’s degree in natural science from the College of General Studies and the David C. Frederick Honors College. He is spending his Fulbright in Germany studying Huntington’s and other neurodegenerative diseases at the University of Tübingen.

Regis Curtis of Bulger, Pennsylvania, earned a Bachelor of Philosophy in international and area studies, focusing on West European Studies. Curtis majored in German and French with a minor in gender, sexuality and women’s studies and a certificate in Central European studies. They are spending their Fulbright year as an English teaching assistant in Germany while continuing research on contemporary HIV/AIDS cinema, representation, monogamy and safer sex regimes.

Michelle Furmansky of Dresher, Pennsylvania, graduated with bachelor’s degrees in economics and the Frederick Honors College’s distinctive politics and philosophy major. She also earned minors in Portuguese and Luso-Brazilian culture and a certificate in global studies. Furmansky is examining policies targeting youth unemployment at the University of Lisbon in Portugal for her Fulbright.

Hannah Heisler of East Berlin, Pennsylvania, graduated in 2022 with a Bachelor of Philosophy in linguistics, a Bachelor of Arts in French and certificates in Arabic language and linguistics. She teaches English as a second language to refugees and immigrants at Literacy Pittsburgh through Compass AmeriCorps. For her Fulbright, Heisler is teaching English and exploring linguistic diversity in Morocco.

Dayon Ketchens of Emmaus, Pennsylvania, earned bachelor’s degrees in linguistics and German language and cultural studies. As an English teaching assistant in Germany, Ketchens is exploring his interest in second-language acquisition, specifically psycholinguistics and sociolinguistics.

Megan Liu of Brooklyn, New York, graduated from Pitt’s School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, majoring in communication science and disorders and minoring in linguistics. Her experience as a Literacy Pittsburgh classroom aide inspired her to teach English in Taiwan, where she is completing her Fulbright.

Madelyn McCollough of Woodbridge, Connecticut, graduated from the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences as a German language and cultural studies major with a sociology minor and a certificate in West European studies. She serves as an English teaching assistant in Germany.

Kayla Pierre of Norristown, Pennsylvania, earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and economics and a certificate in global studies. For her Fulbright, Pierre is working at the Universidad de Córdoba in Montería, Colombia.

— Terry Rowley, photography by Aimee Obidzinski