NEWS
NORMAN, Okla. – University of Oklahoma students Jaron Davidson and Olivia Mitchell, and recent alumnus Avery Stevens have received Fulbright U.S. Student awards for the 2024-2025 academic year from the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. Nikola Dragicevic, another recent alumnus, received a Fulbright U.S. Student award for the 2023-2024 cycle early this spring after initially being named an alternate.
As Fulbright students, these scholars will conduct research and teach abroad for an academic year. They are among approximately 2,200 selected for this prestigious honor each year across the U.S.
“Being selected as a Fulbright Scholar is a remarkable achievement, symbolizing academic excellence on a global scale,” said OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. “We take immense pride in our OU Fulbright award recipients, whose selection underscores our dedication to fostering an environment where students can thrive. We eagerly await the transformative impact they will make during their time abroad.”
The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. The primary source of funding for the Fulbright Program is an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
Participating governments, host institutions, corporations and foundations in foreign countries and in the United States also provide direct and indirect support. Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected based on academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields. The Program operates in over 160 countries worldwide.
Davidson, of Clinton, Utah, is a Ph.D. candidate in the Dodge Family College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Anthropology with a focus in archaeology. He has received a Fulbright U.S. Student Program award to Chihuahua and Mexico City, Mexico, where he will conduct archaeological surveys and archival research. Following his grant year, he plans to return to OU to complete his Ph.D. and pursue a career in academia.
Dragicevic, of Oklahoma City, graduated in May 2023 with bachelor’s degrees in international studies and Spanish. He received a Fulbright U.S. Student Program award and is currently serving as an English teaching assistant in Argentina. Following his grant year, he will return to AmeriCorps service at a school in Washington, D.C., where he was working before receiving the Fulbright.
Mitchell, of Moore, Oklahoma, will graduate this month with a bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering. She has received a Fulbright U.S. Student Program award to Sri Lanka, where she will conduct research on primate species and their adaptability to habitat loss or change in the Kaludiya Pokuna Forest in the Central Province. Following her grant year, she plans to return to OU to complete her thesis-based master’s degree in environmental science.
Stevens, of Ada, Oklahoma, graduated in May 2023 with a master’s degree in English – Literature and Cultural Studies and is currently a First-Year Composition instructor at OU. He has received a Fulbright U.S. Student Program award to serve as an English teaching assistant in Belgium. Following his grant year, he plans to either pursue a Ph.D. or continue teaching English as a second language.
They will join an alumni network of Fulbright recipients that includes 62 Nobel Laureates, 89 Pulitzer Prize winners, 80 MacArthur Fellows, 41 heads of state or government and thousands of leaders across the private, public and non-profit sectors.
The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is coordinated at the University of Oklahoma through the Office of Global Engagement. Interested students or recent alumni can contact Fulbright Program Adviser Maura McAndrew at mmcandrew@ou.edu for further information about the application process.
For more information about the Fulbright Program visit us.fulbrightonline.org.
About the University of Oklahoma
Founded in 1890, the University of Oklahoma is a public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. As the state’s flagship university, OU serves the educational, cultural, economic and health care needs of the state, region and nation. OU was named the state’s highest-ranking university in U.S. News & World Report’s most recent Best Colleges list. For more information about the university, visit ou.edu.
Sixteen seniors from the University of Oklahoma have been selected as Outstanding Seniors for their exceptional achievements in scholarship, honors, awards, leadership and service.
Rayna Kordonowy is not your typical Price College of Business student. Raised in a small town in eastern Montana town with fewer than 10,000 residents, she went on to attend the University of Mary, a small, private Catholic university in Bismarck, ND. In 2012, she earned dual bachelor’s degrees in finance and accounting along with a minor in business administration.
As part of a National Science Foundation-funded effort to better understand storms in the tropics, James Ruppert recently sailed across the Atlantic Ocean for a month-long science cruise.
