Rafael Alfonso, a rising sophomore student at Marshall University, has received a Fulbright U.S. Student Program award from the Fulbright Commission to study Technology, Creativity, and Innovation at the Fulbright Scotland Summer Institute in the University of Strathclyde and the Glasgow School of Art in Glasgow, Scotland.
Alfonso is a double major at Marshall, studying creative writing and computer science.
“The Fulbright Summer Institute has already connected me with a robust network of academics with whom I can network, seek advice from, and collaborate,” Alfonso said. “This will be particularly beneficial after college. Furthermore, the institute will show me how I can combine my very disparate fields of study, all while exposing me to the possibilities I have available to me.”
Alfonso is a member of the Society of Yeager Scholars in the Charlie and Alma Slack Class of 2025, and is the first second-generation Yeager Scholar. He also serves as the copy editor for the student newspaper, The Parthenon.
“I am excited by all the new things I will experience and learn from the institute: from the people I will meet, the sights and castles I will see, the research I will participate in, the skills I will develop and all the food I will try,” Alfonso said.
Fulbright Scholar Awards are prestigious and competitive fellowships that provide unique opportunities for scholars to teach and conduct research abroad. Fulbright scholars also play a critical role in U.S. public diplomacy, establishing long-term relationships between people and nations. Alumni include 61 Nobel Laureates, 89 Pulitzer Prize winners, 76 MacArthur Fellows and thousands of leaders and world-renowned experts in academia and many other fields across the private, public and nonprofit sectors.
The Office of National Scholarships at Marshall University is available to help students, alumni and faculty apply for Fulbright programs. For more information on the Office of National Scholarships at Marshall University, e-mail ons@marshall.edu or visit www.marshall.edu/nationalscholarships.