World ambassadors
Studying in Venice and conducting research with health and exercise science professors Peter Brubaker and Anthony Marsh set Wake Forest graduate Robert Musci (’12) on a course toward winning a Fulbright scholarship for the 2015-2016 academic year.
“Both professors have been terrific friends and mentors to me these past years. I’ve been so fortunate to have them guiding and supporting me through past and current projects,” said Musci, who earned his master’s degree at Colorado State University and will study physical activity in older adults in Italy with the Fulbright award.
“I don’t think I would have ever majored in health and exercise science, gone to Venice, or gotten a Fulbright if it hadn’t been for Dr. Brubaker’s Human Physiology class,” he said. During his undergraduate years, Musci conducted research with Brubaker and Marsh, including a study in collaboration with the Wake Forest School of Medicine that gave him a lot of experience working with an older adult population. Marsh mentored his honors thesis.
Musci is among nine Wake Forest seniors and recent graduates awarded Fulbright grants this year. From researching public health in Nigeria to teaching English in the Czech Republic, they will travel to countries around the world. Including this year’s winners, 102 Wake Forest graduates have been named Fulbright scholars.
The Fulbright U.S. Student Program — the most prestigious international exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government — offers opportunities for students and young professionals to conduct research or teach English in more than 155 countries.
A research fellowship last summer in Vietnam, a backpacking trip through Southeast Asia, and a study abroad experience in Ghana led Dung “Dee” Nguyen to apply for a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship (ETA) in Thailand.
“My experiences made me discover my love for learning about different cultures and my passion for helping others through education,” Nguyen said.
She was among four Wake Forest seniors and three recent graduates selected this year for an ETA.
“As a politics and international affairs major and sociology minor, I will incorporate both academic scholarship and the practical skills that I have acquired through the courses that I have taken at Wake Forest,” she said. “My classes taught me the importance of understanding the social and political context of a country.”
Among Wake Forest’s 2015-2016 winners, two were awarded research Fulbrights:
- Ade Ilesanmi (’15) will research public health in Nigeria.
- Rob Musci (’12) will examine exercise in Italy.
Seven were awarded Fulbright English Teaching Assistantships and will teach English abroad:
- Nancy A Diaz (’13) will teach in Mexico.
- Erica Fedor (’13) will teach in the Czech Republic.
- Samantha Geary (’15) will teach in Indonesia.
- Araceli Morales-Santos (’15) will teach in Brazil.
- Dung Nguyen (’15) will teach in Thailand.
- Aubrey Peterson (’14) will teach in Vietnam.
- Sally Rowland (’15) will teach in South Africa.
Two students who were recommended by the U.S. Fulbright committee to the host committees in other countries are currently listed as alternates for English Teaching Assistantships abroad:
- Elizabeth Busby (’15) to teach in Kenya
- Nia Lesesne (’15) to teach in Thailand
One student who was recommended by the U.S. Fulbright committee to the host committees in other countries is currently listed as an alternate for a research Fulbright:
- Eva Ward (’15) to research political devolution in Wales, UK
Categories: Experiential Learning, Global Wake Forest, Mentorship, Research & Discovery
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