For First Time, Multiple Manhattan College Students Receive Fulbright Awards

Three Manhattan College graduating seniors – Natalia Alvarez ’19, Alia Flanigan ’19 and Emily Hay ’19 – have earned Fulbright English Teaching Assistant awards for the 2019-2020 academic year through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program.

This is the first time that more than one Manhattan College student has received a Fulbright award during an academic year.

An international studies major, Alvarez will teach in Brazil next year. Both Flanigan, an international studies major, and Hay, a special education/adolescent education major, will teach in Malaysia next year.

Alvarez, Flanigan and Hay are part of a group of 2,100 U.S. citizens who will conduct research, teach English, and provide expertise abroad for the 2019-2020 academic year through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program.

“Each of these students has different backgrounds and experiences,” said Cory Blad, Ph.D., professor and chair of sociology at Manhattan College, and a faculty advisor for students interested in the Fulbright Pogram. “Yet all three are outstanding examples of how intelligence and a willingness to put in significant effort creates amazing opportunities.”

The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program and is designed to build lasting connections between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. 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.

Since its establishment in 1946 under legislation introduced by the late U.S. Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas, the Fulbright Program has given more than 390,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists and professionals of all backgrounds and fields the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas, and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.

Fulbrighters address critical global challenges in all disciplines while building relationships, knowledge, and leadership in support of the long-term interests of the United States. Fulbright alumni have achieved distinction in many fields, including 59 who have been awarded the Nobel Prize, 84 who have received Pulitzer Prizes, and 37 who have served as heads of state or government.