From Argentina to Taiwan, Assumption’s Fulbright Scholars Live, Study, and Work Around the World
As a child, Stephanie Bouley ’12 spent a lot of time in doctors’ offices “because so many people in my family were diagnosed with diseases with few therapeutic options.”
She made up her mind to change the face of medicine by pursuing a career in research. In addition to her double major in biotechnology and chemistry, she completed research internships at Assumption, the University of Massachusetts Medical School, and Brown University.
Bouley was encouraged to apply for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, which provides grants for postgraduate research and teaching opportunities abroad.
Though intrigued, she was nervous about applying: she’s the first person in her family to attend college and had never traveled alone. A roster of different professors stepped up to help her through the rigorous application process, however, and she ended up earning a Fulbright to conduct research on viruses at the University of Tubingen in Germany. She is now completing her doctorate in Dartmouth College’s experimental and molecular medicine program.
“I was so lucky to have the Fulbright experience,” Bouley said. “The biochemistry I learned in Germany was really helpful in my graduate work, and living abroad taught me that I’m stronger than I thought.”
For Jessica Ferronetti ’18, the institution’s newest Fulbright scholar, the journey began in her sophomore year when Spanish Professor Maryanne Leone, Ph.D., “handed back one of my papers with ‘Fulbright’ written across the top.” A double major in Spanish and middle/secondary education, Ferronetti knew early on that she wanted to be a teacher, and had already taught at Assumptionist schools in Argentina through an internship created by Esteban Loustaunau, Ph.D., an associate professor of Spanish in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages. In preparing her Fulbright application, she worked closely with a number of professors, particularly Thomas Wheatland, Ph.D., associate professor of history and Assumption’s Fulbright advisor.
Prof. Wheatland shared that more than a dozen Assumption students have earned prestigious Fulbrights since 2001, and professors are enthusiastic about encouraging qualified students to apply for the award. “Regardless of the outcome, going through the application process helps students tie their life experiences together and do some deep thinking about what they truly want to accomplish in life,” he said.
Leanne Walsh ’04, who earned a Fulbright to teach English in Taiwan, agreed. “Having a Fulbright listed on my resume is a great introduction to who I am,” she said. “It has definitely helped me get interviews whenever I’ve applied for jobs.”
For her Fulbright, Cristine Delaney Goldman ’06 – a double major in political science and history – went to Norway, where she studied international human rights. She then won a grant to stay an additional year to finish her master’s degree at Oslo University School of Law before earning a law degree from Fordham University. She currently represents Massachusetts school districts on a variety of legal issues.
“The Fulbright made a huge difference in my life both personally and professionally,” Delaney said. “Living in another country is a life-changing event and I made lifelong cross-cultural friendships. Professionally, having a Fulbright shows that you’re committed to the projects you set out to do.”
For adventure seekers, a Fulbright also paves the way for a lifetime of international work and travel. Audrey Anton ’02, a double major in philosophy and social and rehabilitation services, spent her Fulbright year studying philosophical gerontology in Ecuador before earning two master’s degrees and a Ph.D. Today she’s an associate professor of philosophy at Western Kentucky University.
“My particular research interests take me to interesting places, like Italy and Greece, where I am now researching my next book,” she said. “My research will be about Aristotle’s theory of vice. I’m on sabbatical this coming year and I won a fellowship to work on my book at the National Humanities Center in North Carolina. There’s a library here in Greece that I like to use, and I’m working through some materials I can’t find anywhere else.”
Assumption professors are eager to help Fulbright applicants because the faculty focus is on helping individual students succeed, said Professor of English James M. Lang, Ph.D., who earned a Fulbright Specialist Grant to work with three universities in Colombia to develop an online course in teaching and learning for Spanish speaking faculty members.
“We know that earning a Fulbright is a way to open doors for students for the rest of their lives, so we do everything in our power to help them through the application process,” he said.
Sometimes, this means just encouraging students to take a risk. “I had always lived within a 30-minute radius of my hometown,” admitted Bouley, “and by the time I got the Fulbright, I had already been accepted to Dartmouth. I hesitated about deferring graduate school to take it.”
But then she heard University of Notre Dame Head Football Coach Brian Kelly ’83 speak at her graduation. “He asked if we were going to do what was good for us or what was best for us. He reminded us that, if we only do what’s good for us, we won’t challenge ourselves and push ourselves to our limits,” she recalled.
She flew to Germany that August, “and it was the best decision I could have made,” said Bouley. One day, she hopes to teach cancer biology and have her own laboratory at a institution like Assumption, where the faculty truly cares about mentoring students throughout their undergraduate years and beyond. “It would be such a gift to give back to students some of the knowledge and generous help I have received in my life.”
