UNH Students Win Fulbright Scholarships To Study Abroad

Contact: Erika Mantz
603-862-1567
UNH Media Relations

May 19, 2004



DURHAM, N.H. – Five University of New Hampshire students were named national finalists in this year’s Fulbright U.S. Student Program, and four of those students received grants to conduct career-launching study and research abroad. The fifth was named an alternate.

Each year, approximately 4,500 U.S. students apply for about 1,000 fellowships in all fields of study. In the past 56 years, the Fulbright Program has provided more than a quarter of a million students, scholars and professional worldwide with the opportunity to observe each others’ political, economic and cultural institutions, exchange ideas and embark on joint ventures. This year 10 UNH students applied to the program.

“UNH is greatly honored to have so many of its students chosen to participate in this prestigious program,” said UNH President Ann Weaver Hart. “These students are shining examples of the importance of undergraduate research and study abroad in a comprehensive first-rate higher education, and they deserve to be recognized for their outstanding achievement.”

The Fulbright Program was established in 1946 through an act of Congress in order to demonstrate U.S. commitment to democratic values worldwide. UNH’s Fulbright finalists for the 2004-2005 academic year are as follows:

Catherine Bozek, of South Hadley, Mass., was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to teach English in South Korea. Bozek, who completed a master’s in Natural Resources at UNH in 2003, also hopes to learn more about management and outreach programs related to ecological systems while in Korea.

Jessica MacManus, of Seekonk, Mass., was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to conduct research at the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Otjiwarongo, Namibia, studying "The Effects of Social Interaction, Hormones, and Behavior on the Estrus Cycle of Cheetahs.” She will graduate from UNH this May with a bachelor’s of science in Wildlife Management.

Lisa Newcombe, of Augusta, Maine, was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to teach English as a Second Language in Germany. Newcombe will graduate from UNH this May with a bachelor’s in German and a minor in musical theater.

Jessie Wallner, of Concord, N.H., was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to study “Musical Form and Function Among the Three Sakya-pa Sub-sects of Tibetan Buddhism” in Kathmandu, Nepal. She graduated from UNH in 2003 with a bachelor’s in Music Education and a minor in anthropology.

Valerie Smith, of Concord, Mass., was named an alternate in the national competition for study in Germany. She graduated from UNH in December 2003 with a bachelor’s in Communication and English.