For the 10th straight year, Emory University has earned the distinction as one of the nation’s top producers of students and alumni who receive U.S. Fulbright Awards.
Emory had 12 recipients of the Fulbright Award to teach or conduct research abroad for 2025-26. They bring the number of Emory students and alumni that the U.S. State Department has selected for the government’s flagship international exchange program to 189.
Recipients of the award, named after the late Sen. J. William Fulbright, are chosen based on academic and professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential. The Fulbright program published the full list of top-producing institutions on its website Feb. 3.
Seven of this cycle’s recipients, all alumni of Emory College of Arts and Sciences, are serving as Fulbright English teaching assistants in classrooms in the Czech Republic, Greece and South Korea.
Guadalupe Quiñones, who graduated in 2025 with degrees in human health and biology, is teaching English at the Escuela Normal Superior Federalizada del Estado de Puebla, in Mexico’s fourth-largest city.
One highlight from her experience was in November, when her birthday overlapped with the annual Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration. Her students had created a three-tiered altar in remembrance of another teacher — and it was awarded third place during the festivities. In addition to celebrating that teacher and their accomplishment, the students surprised Quiñones with a cake and traditional flor de de cempasúchil crown for her birthday.
“It was a truly special and heartfelt experience,” says Quiñones, who is heading to medical school next fall. “I’m grateful for Emory’s National Scholarships and Fellowships (NSFP) program for being incredibly supportive in helping me get here. From the summer boot camp before I submitted my application to the final weeks before departing on my grant, the staff provided guidance with essay revisions, interview preparation, and consistent encouragement during moments of uncertainty throughout my Fulbright cycle.”
Margaret Rencher, a 2025 graduate in data sciences and biological anthropology, is teaching at two schools in the Asturias region of Spain and enjoying visits the coastal villages along the Cantabrian Sea and Cordillera Cantábrica mountain range in the country’s northwest.
She lauds NSFP advisors for their specific advice and feedback for pursuing Asturias, which has a distinct culture from the rest of Spain. Rencher, who studied abroad her junior year in Salamanca, also felt supported by faculty in the departments of linguistics and Spanish who encouraged her application for the competitive award.
“My time with Emory’s Spanish program in Salamanca solidified by desire to live in Spain again,” says Rencher, who plans to work in computational genomics research for a few years before pursuing a PhD in computational biology. “I’m very grateful for my Emory professors who encouraged me to apply.”
Other Fulbright teaching recipients are:
- Rachel Kroger, 2023 Oxford College graduate and 2025 Emory College graduate in international studies and East Asian studies, South Korea
- Reana Radu, 2025 graduate in neuroscience and behavioral biology, Romania
- Ben Spiegel, 2025 graduate in political science and English and creative writing, Spain
- Michael Tiffin, 2023 graduate in English and creative writing, Greece
- Charlotte Weinstein, 2023 Oxford College graduate and 2025 Emory College graduate in history, Czech Republic
Four Emory College alumni and one Rollins School of Public Health graduate received Study/Research Awards, which allow them to design their own projects, typically completed with advisers from foreign universities.
Those recipients are:
- Jahnavi Chamarthi, 2023 Oxford College graduate and 2025 Emory College graduate in political science, India
- Abia Fazili, 2025 graduate in English and creative writing, India
- Alexia Marriott, 2025 graduate in neuroscience and behavioral biology, Germany
- Jennifer Rivas, 2016 master of public health graduate at Rollins School of Public Health, United Kingdom
- Raz Wachtel, 2023 graduate in biology, Indonesia
Finalist notifications for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program for the upcoming cycle are expected to be released between March and June for an August or September start. Graduating seniors, young professionals and graduate students are eligible to apply for individually designed study or research programs and English teaching assistantships abroad.
Fulbright is the world’s largest and most diverse international education program. Since its launch in 1946, it has provided more than 400,000 awardees the opportunity to increase mutual understanding between the United States and 160 other countries.
The program’s alumni include 40 heads of state or government, 61 Nobel Laureates and 89 Pulitzer Prize winners.
Learn more about Fulbright grants
Students interested in learning more about undergraduate Fulbright grants and other prestigious awards should contact Megan Friddle, director of Emory's National Scholarships and Fellowships Program (NSFP) in the Emory College Pathways Center.
