Claremont, Calif. (July 11, 2012) — Recent Pitzer College graduates have set another record this year with 22 Fulbright Fellowships for 2012-13. For the last two years Pitzer has had more Fulbright winners than any other undergraduate institutions in the country. With interests that span the globe, these alumni will travel to more than a dozen countries ranging from Thailand to Turkey to Tajikistan. Some will conduct research, examining the lives of indigenous youth in Brazil and studying women-run radio stations in Nepal; others will teach English everywhere from Argentina and South Korea to Bangladesh and Malaysia.
“Congratulations to these extraordinary students who exemplify Pitzer’s spirit and core values. We wish them the very best and look forward to seeing how each makes a difference in our global community,” said Pitzer College President Laura Skandera Trombley.
Designed to increase mutual understanding between Americans and people of other countries, the Fulbright Program is considered “the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the US government.” Since 1994, Pitzer students and alumni have won a total of 152 Fulbright Fellowships.
Pitzer’s 2012-13 Fulbright Fellows are…
Rio Bauce ’12, a government major and the chair of the Student Senate, was awarded a Fulbright to Spain where he will teach English. While at Pitzer, he studied in Costa Rica during his junior year and tutored day laborers in California.
Micaela Fein ’12, an anthropology major who has studied abroad in Ghana and Spain, has been awarded a Fulbright to Argentina where she will use art to help teach English. Fein will build on experiences she gained mentoring incarcerated youth at a Los Angeles County juvenile probation camp. She also plans to create an oral history documentary.
Colin Flynn ’12, an English and world literature major, has been awarded a Fulbright to Malaysia where he plans to teach his students English by incorporating his passion for electronic and hip-hop music. Flynn studied in Spain in fall 2010.
Vincent Giannotti ’12, an anthropology major, will teach English in Nepal, using lesson plans that include improvisational techniques, humor, communicative language activities and content-based learning. Gianotti studied abroad in China and Botswana and participated in the Pitzer in Ontario program.
Laura Gutierrez ’12, an international and intercultural studies major, has been awarded a Fulbright to Bangladesh. Using fieldwork experience she gained in Ecuador and the Pitzer in Ontario program, Gutiérrez will research how workers and owners in the garment industry leverage their positions within the global system of production.
Chloe Hans-Barrientos ’12, an anthropology major, has been awarded a Fulbright to Brazil. Her research project will examine the lives of the indigenous youth who migrate to the city of Boa Vista, Roraima and their personal ties to the environment. Hans-Barrientos studied in Brazil at the Federal University of Roraima in 2011.
Alex James ’12, a Spanish major who participated in Pitzer’s Costa Rica program, has been awarded a Fulbright to Spain to research how Barcelona’s gay communities have incorporated dominant paradigms of masculinity. His field work is designed to shed light on the trend of hyper-masculinization among gay men in Barcelona.
Emily Kawahara ’12, a double major in philosophy and English and world literature with an emphasis in creative writing, has been awarded a Fulbright to Thailand where she will teach English. Drawing on experience gained while studying in Nepal and tutoring at Pitzer’s Writing Center, she plans to use creative writing as a tool for both personal and language development with her Thai students.
Cody Klock ’12, a double major in economics and psychology, has been awarded a Fulbright to South Korea. A previous recipient of a Critical Language Scholarship in Korean and an intern at the Republic of Korea Desk at the US State Department, Klock will use photo-journaling as a tool for intercultural communication. In addition, she plans to interview self-employed women about their role in the Korean economy.
Gabriel Loewinger ’12, a neuroscience major, was awarded a Fulbright to Nepal where he studied in spring of 2010. A recipient of a 2012-13 Thomas J. Watson Fellowship as well, Loewinger declined the Fulbright and plans to travel to Brazil, Thailand, Vietnam and Peru on the Watson during the year.
Zack London ’12, a double major in studio art and anthropology, has been awarded a Fulbright to Malaysia where he will use mythology and folklore to teach English. London studied in Nepal in fall 2010.
Jesse Mapstead ’12, a self-designed major in anthropology in media, has been awarded a Fulbright to Malaysia where she will teach English. Having learned Nepali and Setswana while studying abroad on Pitzer programs, Mapstead will draw on her own experience learning languages to teach English in Malaysia.
Brooke Marcy ’12, a peace and conflict studies major, has been awarded a Fulbright to Indonesia. Drawing on her experience as a Model UN participant and intern at NATO in Belgium, Marcy plans to use the classroom as a forum for intercultural exchange. She also received a 2012 Teach For America fellowship, which she has deferred for a year so she can teach English in Indonesia.
Caroline Martin ’12, a political studies major with extensive experience in dance, has been awarded a Fulbright to Turkey, where she previously studied through an exchange program at Pitzer. At a Turkish university, Martin will use dance and movement to help teach English and plans to pursue community engagement projects, building on experience she gained teaching dance to students with disabilities and tutoring at-risk youth.
Anna O’Kain ’12, a self-designed critical development studies major, has been awarded a Fulbright to Nepal, where she studied in spring 2010. She will research the phenomenon of women-run community radio stations and their impact on local development. O’Kain plans to study the process of community building and identity formation, new and expanding forms of media, and gender relations in the Nepali context.
Dean Pospisil ’12, a double major in neuroscience and art, was awarded a Fulbright to Austria. He was also awarded a 2012-13 Thomas J. Watson Fellowship, that will take him to Italy, India, Nepal and Bhutan. He plans to reapply to the Fulbright program next year.
Javid Riahi ’11, who double majored in anthropology and international and intercultural studies, has been awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to teach English in Tajikistan. Riahi’s previous international experience includes studying abroad in Lebanon, Thailand and Spain. He also volunteered with Habitat for Humanity in both Thailand and Mexico. Riahi plans to become an anthropologist specializing in the Middle East and Central Asia.
Alexa Schlomo-Carrasco ’12, a double major in media studies and English and world literature, has been awarded a Fulbright to teach English in Spain where she will draw on skills she gained teaching at Venice Arts, an arts education program in Venice, CA. Schlomo-Carrasco also studied abroad in Ecuador while at Pitzer and plans to use her passion for literature, film and music to help her students learn English.
Ian Schoen ’12, a psychology major with a minor in environmental studies, has been awarded a Fulbright to Malaysia where he plans to use a content-based curriculum founded on music and sports to teach English. Schoen studied at the Pitzer in Botswana program and participated in a global-local summer course in Costa Rica.
Miriam Stiefel ’12, a double major in political studies and sociology, has been awarded a Fulbright to the Czech Republic. Drawing on her experiences as a Hebrew teacher and language student, Stiefel will teach Czech students using interactive and multi-sensory lessons. She also plans to study early modern Jewish history, including that of her 17th-century ancestors. Stiefel previously studied on an exchange program in Turkey and with Pitzer in Nepal.
Jennifer Trejo ’12, a New Resources student with a major in international and intercultural studies, has been awarded a Fulbright to Bangladesh. In addition to her study abroad experience in Thailand, Trejo will draw from her teaching experiences locally and abroad, and incorporate the use of music and crafts to create a cross-cultural learning atmosphere while teaching English to Bangladeshi students.
Elise Wanger ’12, a double major in English and world literature and evolutionary biology, has been awarded a Fulbright to Poland to research Yiddish and Jewish historical theater traditions. She will also be working on her own creative writing projects during her Fulbright year. Wanger plans to teach Polish university students using creative writing and incorporating experience she gained while studying abroad in Morocco and working locally with the nonprofit Prototypes.
In addition, Nick Cinelli ’12, Jason Fields ’12, Jaclyn Mena ’12, Lesah Wald ’12 and Clayton Weimers ’12 were also named as Fulbright alternates
In 2010 and 2011, The Chronicle of Higher Education ranked Pitzer College as the top producer of Fulbright students among all US liberal arts colleges in the “bachelor’s institution” category. Pitzer has been the national leader in Fulbright Fellowships per thousand students for eight consecutive years.
About Fulbright Fellowships
The Fulbright US Student Program has provided more than 290,000 students, scholars and professionals worldwide with the opportunity to observe political, economic and cultural institutions, exchange ideas and embark on joint ventures of importance to the general welfare of the world’s inhabitants.
