(Golden, CO, January 27, 2025) Colorado School of Mines’ Office of Nationally Competitive Scholarships is pleased to announce that six students and recent graduates have been named semi-finalists for the 2025-2026 Fulbright U.S. Student Program by the U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. Final selection of US Student Fulbright awards will be confirmed in spring 2025.
Davita Bird is graduating in 2025 with a B.S. in Computer Science. With the Fulbright English Teaching Assistant award, Davita hopes to teach English in classrooms in Taiwan. Davita proposes to bring a student-centered and research-backed approach to teaching to meet students where they are, preparing students for the challenges and opportunities of a globalized workforce. Upon return, Davita hopes to work in the green energy transition by programming smarter buildings.
Isabella (Is) Chittumuri is a PhD student in Applied Mathematics and Statistics with an expected graduation in 2026. In collaboration with the University of Iceland in Iceland, Is proposes to study climate-induced vulnerabilities affecting glacier-based tourism and the surrounding community in Hornafjörður, Iceland, with the goal of providing insights for climate adaptation strategies that can benefit glacier-dependent communities globally. Upon return, Is plans to build a career as a climate resilience researcher, focusing on the intersection of data science, environmental policy, and community adaptation. Her ultimate goal is to collaborate with governmental and international organizations to design evidence-based strategies that empower vulnerable communities to adapt to the impacts of climate change.
Michael Dooley is a PhD student in Chemistry with an expected graduation in 2026. In collaboration with the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute in Norway, Michael proposes to enhance the efforts of ZeroPM, a research project funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 program endeavoring to eliminiate persistent mobile toxins, or forever chemicals, in the environment. Upon return, Michael plans to pursue a career in global pollutant transport research, driving the international collaboration needed to tackle these global pollutants.
Camila Garcia-Ferreyra graduated from Mines in 2023 with a B.S. in Environmental Engineering and an M.S. in Advanced Energy Systems. With the Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in South Korea, Camila hopes to gain experience teaching in diverse classrooms in order to prepare for a future career in education. Camila is excited to dive into her passion for languages, learn about Korean culture, and become a cultural ambassador through her Fulbright grant. Upon return, she plans to utilize the skillsets and perspectives gained in South Korea to pursue a career in teaching.
Scheherazade (Schede) Harvey is graduating in 2025 with a B.S. in Engineering Physics. Schede proposes to earn a master of science in Advanced Physics at the University of Crete in Greece. She hopes to research celestial polarimetric observations and to take advantage of the university’s FORTH Institute of Astrophysics. Upon return, Schede hopes to take advantage of her new skills working with scientists from different backgrounds to foster inclusive research environments that value diverse insights as a teaching professor of physics at a public university.
Nadia Schreiber is a master’s student in Hydrologic Science and Engineering with an expected graduation in 2025. She also earned her B.S. in Computer Science from Mines in 2021. In collaboration with the High Atlas Foundation in Morrocco, Nadia proposes to study long-term effects of planting trees on groundwater availability in Safi, Morocco, with the goal of understanding factors that contribute to water stability and combat desertification. Upon return, Nadia plans to pursue a PhD in hydrology and a career in groundwater recharge research, where she hopes to inform policy that recharges groundwater.
In 2025-2026, more than 1,800 U.S. citizens will study, conduct research, and teach abroad for the academic year through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. Recipients of Fulbright awards are selected in an open, merit-based competition that considers leadership potential, academic and/or professional achievement, and record of service. As Fulbright alumni, their careers are enriched by joining a network of thousands of esteemed scholars, many of whom are leaders in their fields. Fulbright alumni include 60 Nobel Prize laureates, 88 Pulitzer Prize recipients, and 37 who have served as a head of state or government.
The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to forge lasting connections between the people of the United States and the people of other countries, counter misunderstandings, and help people and nations work together toward common goals. Since its establishment in 1946, the Fulbright Program has enabled more than 390,000 dedicated and accomplished students, scholars, artists, teachers, and professionals of all backgrounds to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas, and find solutions to shared international concerns. The Fulbright Program is funded through an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations, and foundations around the world also provide direct and indirect support to the Program, which operates in more than 160 countries worldwide. For further information about the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State, please visit http://eca.state.gov/fulbright(Link is external) or contact the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Press Office by telephone 202-632-6452 or e-mail ECA-Press@state.gov.
The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is administered at Colorado School of Mines through Ashley Weibel, Office of Nationally Competitive Scholarships. For more information about applying for Fulbright or other national and international scholarships and fellowships, please contact Ashley at ashley.weibel@mines.edu and visit: https://nationalscholarships.mines.edu/