Julia Smith Receives Fulbright Award to Mexico

St. Paul, Minn. – Julia Smith, of South Burlington, Vt., has been awarded a Fulbright U.S. Student Program scholarship to Mexico.  Smith will graduate at Macalester College’s 122nd commencement on May 14, 2011.

Smith, a double major in Latin American Studies and Educational Studies, will spend the next year in Mexico investigating the relative effectiveness of two different methods of ending poverty–microfinance and capital conversion. 

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program offers fellowships for U.S. graduating seniors, graduate students, young professionals and artists to study abroad for one academic year.

“As a Latin American Studies major, Macalester has facilitated opportunities for me to learn about, interact with and inhabit Latin American and Latino spaces throughout North America,” said Smith.  “The research that I will conduct in Mexico comes out of a three-year investigation of micro-finance in Latin America, beginning my sophomore year.  The Fulbright allows me to continue my academic interests, that flourished at Macalester, as well as providing me with a manner to live in Mexico City.”

Smith is one of approximately 1,500 U.S. citizens who will travel abroad for the 2011-2012 academic year through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program.  Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields.

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 and host institutions, corporations and foundations in foreign countries and in the United States also provide direct and indirect support. The Fulbright Program operates in more than 155 countries worldwide.

Since its establishment in 1946 under legislation introduced by the late U.S. Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas, the Fulbright Program has given approximately 300,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists, and scientists the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns. 

Macalester College, founded in 1874, is a national liberal arts college with a full-time enrollment of 1,958 students. Macalester is nationally recognized for its long-standing commitment to academic excellence, internationalism, multiculturalism and civic engagement.  Learn more at macalester.edu