NEWS
By
Rachael Brown
rachael.brown@ou.edu
Date
Three students at the University of Oklahoma have been awarded nationally competitive scholarships, including two Fulbright recipients and one Gilman awardee.
University of Oklahoma students Annelise Huynh and Alex Shafer have received Fulbright U.S. Student awards for the 2026-27 academic year from the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. Fulbright students spend a year abroad teaching English, pursuing graduate study or conducting research. These students are among approximately 2,200 selected for this prestigious honor each year across the U.S.
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. Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields. The Program operates in over 160 countries worldwide.
Annelise Huynh, of Tulsa, is graduating this spring with bachelor’s degrees in Planned Program from the Dodge Family College of Arts & Sciences and Music (Piano) from the Weitzenhoffer Family College of Fine Arts. She has received a Fulbright U.S. Student Program award to Heidelberg, Germany, where she will conduct cancer-related research at University Hospital Heidelberg. Following her grant year, she plans to attend medical school.
Alex Shafer, of Cary, North Carolina, is a Ph.D. candidate in Biology in the Dodge Family College of Arts & Sciences. She has received a Fulbright U.S. Student Program award to Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei, where she will conduct research in amphibian disease ecology. Following her grant year, she will return to OU to finish her Ph.D.
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.
Lauren Morris, of Bristow, is receiving a Gilman scholarship to study at the OU Study Center in Arezzo, Italy this summer. She is an undergraduate student studying in the Fran and Earl Ziegler College of Nursing on the OU Health Campus.
The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program, a program of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), provides scholarships to U.S. undergraduate students to study or intern abroad.
For more information about the Gilman Scholarship, contact Alissa Ureta at Alissa.ureta@ou.edu or visit gilmanscholarship.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. For more information about the university, visit www.ou.edu.
The University of Oklahoma has received a transformative gift from Jon and Shannon McCartney, which will name the McCartney Family Tunnel of Champions, the McCartney Family Gate of the Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium and the McCartney Family Grand Lecture Hall in the Michael F. Price College of Business. The gift will also support the Inspiring Champions and the Athletic Director’s Discretionary Fund, in addition to establishing the McCartney DFW Career Trek program at Price College.
The University of Oklahoma today celebrated the opening of a new air traffic control tower at the OU Max Westheimer Airport. Standing 106 feet tall, more than double the current 52-foot facility, the new tower will modernize air traffic control operations and improve safety for pilots and students operating in the airspace.
Do I buy groceries or pay the electric bill? Should I pawn some of my belongings to afford my prescription? My child is sick, so I will have to miss work to take care of him. Those are just a few of the difficult choices that OU-Tulsa health professional students confronted during the Community Access to Resources Experience. The role-playing activity challenged students to navigate the financial, family and other pressures that can affect a person’s health and ability to follow medical advice. Held annually during the SCM Institute orientation week, the experience is designed to generate understanding and build empathy.
