Three recent graduates awarded Fulbright Scholarships to pursue international internships, teach abroad
Three Morehead-Cain Scholars—Amalia Marmolejos ’23, Tess McGrinder ’23, and Olivia Romine ’23—have received Fulbright Scholarships to pursue internships, studies, and teaching opportunities abroad.
Eighteen other students from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill were selected as finalists for the 2023–2024 Fulbright U.S. Student Program award.
Amalia Marmolejos ’23 of Washington, D.C., has been awarded an English Teaching Assistantship in Spain through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program.
Beginning this fall, the recent graduate will assist teaching staff at a school in the Canary Islands, a Spanish autonomous community off the coast of northwestern Africa.
In addition to teaching, she plans to volunteer at local nonprofits that seek to use teaching English as a tool for upward mobility.
“In this role, I hope to truly become part of the community that I’m working in and to gain perspective on the type of international development work I could meaningfully contribute to in the future,” Amalia said.
Read more about Amalia’s plans.
Tess McGrinder ’23 of Niskayuna, New York, has been awarded an English Teaching Assistantship in Spain through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program.
Beginning this fall, the recent graduate will assist teaching staff at CPS San José in Logroño, Spain. Tess said she pursued the scholarship to be able to use the language skills she gained at UNC–Chapel Hill.
“The Fulbright in Spain seemed like a perfect step into my adult life; it’s an opportunity to employ and refine my Spanish, immerse myself in a distinct culture and geography, and learn about the education, politics, and healthcare system in La Rioja,” she said.
Tess received a bachelor’s in English and comparative literature from Carolina, with minors in chemistry and Spanish for the professions.
Olivia Romine ’23 has received the Fulbright-García Robles Scholarship through the Binational Internship Program for U.S. Students to pursue a business internship and studies in Mexico following her graduation from UNC–Chapel Hill this spring.
The program funds internships in Mexican and multinational companies with the goal of “creating mutual understanding between the private sectors of Mexico and the United States,” according to its website.
Olivia said the program is a “perfect intersection” of her interests in international relations, Spanish, and business.
“I’ve always wanted to live abroad and immerse myself in one of the cultures I’ve learned about since a young age,” the scholar said. As an elementary student, she attended a Spanish immersion school taught by Latin American teachers.
“Internships in Peru and studying abroad in Spain confirmed that I wanted to work in a Spanish-speaking country.”
