Top Stories

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is a highly competitive international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. In the 2020-21 award cycle, 21 students applied from UCSB, 4 were selected as finalists, 5 were selected as alternates, and 4 were selected as semi-finalists. Congratulations to these outstanding students!

By Graduate Division Staff
Tuesday, May 5th, 2020 - 9:10am

fulbright banner image

UC Santa Barbara's Graduate Division would like to recognize all of the talented students who participated in the 2020-21 Fulbright U.S. Student Program Award competition. This highly competitive program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. Recipients of Fulbright awards are selected on the basis of academic and professional achievement, as well as their record of service and leadership potential in their respective fields.

In total, 21 students applied from UCSB, 4 were selected as finalists, 5 were selected as alternates, and 4 were selected as semi-finalists for the 2020-21 award cycle. Read on to find out more!

2020-21 Fulbright Finalist Award Winners

Mattie Webb

UCSB Department of History
Award: Open Study/Research in ​South Africa
Project Title: "Diplomacy at Work: The South African Worker and the Sullivan Principles on the Shop Floor"
*​Mattie​ was also awarded a 2020 Boren Fellowship for intensive foreign language study abroad

Mika Thornburg

UCSB Department of History
Award: Open Study/Research in Japan
Project Title: "Guiding Differences and Desires: Japanese Women Brokering Postwar US-Japan Relations"

Kandra Polatis

UCSB Department of History
Award: Open Study/Research in Japan
Project Title: "Death and the Diseased Body: Disease Management and Burial Regulations in Imperial Japan"
*Kandra was also awarded a 2020-21 Japan Foundation Fellowship

Christopher Ozuna

UCSB Gevirtz Graduate School of Educaiton
Award: Open Study/Research in Denmark
Project Title: "Understanding Features of Teacher Preparation for Denmark's Changing Classrooms"

Selected List of 2020-21 Fulbright Alternates & Semi-Finalists

Emma Anderson, English Teaching Assistant Award in Croatia (Alternate)
Keita Moore, Open Study/Research Award in Japan (Alternate)
Bryn Morgan, Open Study/Research Award in Namibia (Alternate)
Jo Palazuelos-Krukowski, Open Study/Research Award in Australia (Semi-Finalist)
Chloe Roberts, Open Study/Research Award in France (Alternate)
Lauren Roberts, English Teaching Assistant Award in Brazil (​Semi-Finalist)

Congratulations again to all of our talented students!

The 2021-22 Fulbright U.S. Student Program competition is now open! You can visit the Fulbright website to learn more. Stay tuned to the GradPost for more information on upcoming info sessions to find out about this prestigious opportunity.