CONGRATULATIONS TO THE COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY GRADUATES AND ALUMS AWARDED FULBRIGHT U.S. STUDENT GRANTS FOR 2025 - 2026
TWENTY - FIVE Columbia University graduates and alumni have been recognized by the Fulbright US Student Program this year. Fulbright U.S. Student grants, annually available in 140+ countries around the world, offer funding for graduating seniors and alumni/ae to undertake independent research projects, graduate study, or English-language teaching positions. Read below to learn more about those who have accepted the grants!
Pictured (left to right, top to bottom): Billy Hughes, CC’25; Alanis Jáquez, CC’25; Ayanna Becker, CC’25; Jay Chae, SEAS’24; Kristopher Jenner, CC’24; Chimene Keys, CC’25; Jasmine Posner, CC’25; Matthew Oey, GS’24; Justin Haddad, CC’25; Charlotte Andreano, CC’25; Daniel Esler, CC’25; Lauren Goralsky, CC’25; Madeleine Cesaretti, CC’25; Lex Meisel, CC’25; Emma Potts, CC’24; Claire Schweitzer, CC’24; Elizabeth Hasapis, CC’24; Serrina Zou, CC’25. Not pictured: Wasa Ball, CC'25; Helen Latting, CC’24.
Charlotte Andreano, CC’25
Charlotte Andreano, a New York native and History major, will pursue a Master’s in History at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam through the Fulbright program. Her research will examine how Dutch colonial policies on Islam in the East Indies shaped secularism and national identity, and how this legacy is remembered today. At Columbia, she was a Global Thought Scholar, researching far-right nationalism in Germany, and performed with the Clefhangers a cappella group. Following her year in the Netherlands, she plans to combine her interests in history and politics in a future career in public history or museum work.
Wasa Magari Ball, CC’25
Wasa Magari Ball studied Linguistics and Philosophy at Columbia with a minor in Anthropology. As a Fulbright scholar in India, she will build on three years of undergraduate Sanskrit study to conduct independent research on the Sanskrit grammatical tradition of vyākaraṇa and the history of linguistic thought in ancient India. Based in Pune, she aims to engage with both ancient and contemporary Sanskrit scholarship to elucidate cross-cultural histories of language study, from formal analysis to philosophy of language.
Ayanna Becker, CC’25
Originally from Fresno, California, Ayanna Becker has accepted a Fulbright-García Robles English Teaching Assistantship to Mexico. At Columbia, Ayanna majored in Anthropology, while co-leading the university’s Housing Equity Project and gaining hands-on experience at an immigration law firm in her California hometown. These experiences—along with her work supporting asylum seekers— shaped her dedication to advancing intercultural understanding and equitable migration policy. Through the Fulbright, Ayanna looks forward to engaging with a culture deeply connected to her own heritage, while expanding her teaching skills and her understanding of migration in the region. Beyond academia, Ayanna is trained in ballet, flamenco, Afro-Cuban, and salsa, and she is eager to explore local dance traditions in Mexico.
Madeleine Cesaretti, CC’25
Born in New York and raised in Florida, Madeleine Cesaretti double-majored in History and Urban Studies with a specialization in Architecture. Her interdisciplinary coursework allowed her to explore her interests in art history, geography, and environmental policy. At Columbia, Madeleine worked on research projects with the Center for Spatial Research, the Center for Science & Society, and the History Department. She also taught weekly elementary school art classes, led arts and culture clubs on campus, and served as a Peer Advisor with the Office of Undergraduate Research & Fellowships. Next year, Madeleine will teach as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in South Korea, deepening her experience in education and strengthening her Korean language skills. As an artist, Madeleine is also excited to share and grow her creative practice within her local Korean community.
Jeonghyun ‘Jay’ Chae, SEAS’24
Growing up in Boise, ID and originally from South Korea, Jay Chae graduated with a major in Mechanical Engineering and an interest in propulsion and aerospace. As a Fulbright researcher in Poland, he will work with the Warsaw Institute of Aviation to develop and improve throttleable liquid rocket engines. His education at Columbia and his time with the Columbia Space Initiative will be a valuable foundation for this research. After his time in Warsaw with the Fulbright, Jay plans on continuing the path of aerospace engineering, with the eventual goal of launching his own projects into orbit.
Daniel Esler, CC’25
Daniel Esler, an Architecture major with a specialization in Brazilian Studies, will conduct research in São Paulo, Brazil next year as a Fulbright grantee. His project will explore the legacy of Brazil’s industrial modernization and its impact on national identity through the lens of architecture and he will partner with the Center for Urban Studies at Insper University. Originally from Berkeley, California, Daniel’s interest in Brazil was sparked by a course on the Cinema Novo movement, which resonated with his experience as a second-generation Haitian American and deepened his engagement with Latin American history and politics. Outside the classroom, Daniel captained Columbia’s Uptown Local ultimate frisbee team and co-led CU Records, a student-run recording studio. In Brazil, he looks forward to continuing to engage with his local Brazilian community via these interests.
Lauren Goralsky, CC’25
Lauren Goralsky, from Stillwater, Minnesota, is a premedical student working at the intersection of biomedical research and patient care. She graduated with a degree in Biochemistry and Comparative Literature. As an undergraduate, Lauren worked at Columbia’s Danino Lab, focusing on bacterial cancer therapy research, a field exploring how live bacteria can be used to target tumors and deliver treatments. She also volunteered as a coordinator for Columbia Student Health Outreach, worked as a research assistant at Columbia Medical Center, and was a member of the Columbia Cheerleading team. As a Fulbright researcher in Zurich, Switzerland, Lauren will continue working on bacterial cancer therapy and following her fellowship, she plans to attend medical school to pursue a career as a physician.
Justin Haddad, CC’25
Justin Haddad, a double major in Mathematics and Computer Science, has been awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to South Korea. A native of Bethesda, Maryland, Justin speaks English and French fluently and has also studied Spanish and Korean. His commitment to cultural exchange and language learning is reflected in a range of educational experiences, including work as a math tutor, teaching assistant, and software engineering intern within the education technology sector. Through the Fulbright, Justin looks forward to further developing his teaching skills while deepening his Korean language proficiency and cultural understanding.
Elizabeth Hasapis, CC’25
Originally from Pound Ridge, New York, Elizabeth Hasapis graduated with a major in English and Comparative Literature and a concentration in Psychology. During her senior year, she served as a teaching assistant in the Department of Psychology and volunteered as a literacy tutor for elementary school students through Reading Partners. She was also an editor in the Print Division of the Columbia Undergraduate Law Review for two years. A dedicated dancer, Elizabeth trained pre-professionally at the School of American Ballet for ten years before continuing to perform throughout college with the Barnard Dance Department, Columbia Ballet Collaborative, and Columbia Repertory Ballet, where she also served as Co-Director. As a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Greece, she will teach at Athens College and looks forward to expanding her teaching experience while engaging with the arts scene in Athens.
William ‘Billy’ Hughes, CC’25
Billy Hughes graduated from Columbia with a major in German Literature and Cultural History, and complimented his major studies with coursework in Quechua and Mandarin Chinese. Originally from Round Hill, Virginia, Billy was actively engaged in both the Columbia and wider New York City communities throughout his undergraduate years, including his service as a Resident Advisor, mentoring peers, and tutoring young readers at P.S. 138. He also helped to revitalize the Runasimi Outreach Collective, an NYU-based organization dedicated to promoting Andean culture and the Quechua language. As a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Bonn, Germany, Billy looks forward to sharing his educational and leadership experiences while building meaningful connections with his host school and community. After his Fulbright year, he plans to pursue graduate studies in International Relations and a career in diplomacy.
Alannis Jáquez, CC’25
Originally from the Bronx, Alannis Jáquez looks forward to honing her communication and presentation skills, and creating meaningful connections with her students and host community as an Fulbright English Teaching Assistant next year in Switzerland. At Columbia, her academic and community work centered on addressing structural inequalities in housing, education, health, and urban environments, with a focus on the role of public policy in supporting individual and collective well-being. Alannis majored in Political Science, with special concentrations in Educational Studies and Psychology and she served as a Resident Adviser, a mentor, a senior editor at the Columbia Political Review, and conducted research alongside groups at the University of Geneva and the University of Toronto, as well as Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health and School of Social Work. Following her Fulbright year, Alannis plans to pursue graduate studies, with the eventual goal of shaping equitable, evidence-based policy frameworks that prioritize human flourishing and lived experience.
Kristopher Jenner, CC’24
Annapolis, Maryland native Kristopher Jenner will complete a Master of Political Science at CY Cergy-Paris University in France next year as a Fulbright grantee. In Paris, his research will focus on French public policies that expand access to opportunity, aiming to identify innovative strategies to enhance upward mobility in the United States. A graduate of Columbia College with a degree in English, Kristopher was also quarterback of the football team and an Eric H. Holder Jr. Fellow in Civil and Political Rights. His internship experience includes roles with Congressman John Sarbanes, the Maryland Governor’s Legislative Office, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, and the chambers of Justice Rolando T. Acosta of the New York Appellate Court. Following his studies in France, Kristopher intends to pursue a career at the intersection of academia and public service, continuing his dedication to expanding pathways to access, opportunity, and success.
Chimene Keys, CC’25
A native of Harlem, New York, Chimene Keys majored in Art History and, during her time at Columbia, also served as a Deputy Editor for the Columbia Daily Spectator. As a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in New Taipei City, Taiwan, Chimene will teach elementary and middle school students, foster cross-cultural understanding, and help young learners build confidence in their English skills. She looks forward to developing her teaching abilities, gaining hands-on classroom experience, and learning from Taiwan’s dynamic educational environment. Beyond the classroom, Chimene is eager to engage with local arts and cultural initiatives and to explore how education and the arts intersect in her host community. Following her Fulbright year, she plans to pursue a graduate degree in Art History and a career in art curation.
Helen Latting, CC’24
Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Helen Latting majored in Earth Science at Columbia and was a member of the Women's rowing team. Her interest in paleoceanography began while working in the McManus lab at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory campus on research focusing on deep water circulation in the North Atlantic. This year, while rowing at the University of Washington in Seattle, she continued her paleo-focused research by examining past sediment fluxes off the western coast of South America. In Norway, she will reconstruct past deep water fluxes off the coast of Norway in collaboration with researchers at the University of Bergen. Beyond paleoceanography, Helen loves cross country skiing and can't wait to find some good snow in Norway.
Alexander ‘Lex’ Meisel, CC’25
Alexander ‘Lex’ Meisel, a double major in Linguistics and Comparative Literature & Society from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has been awarded a Fulbright Grant to Spain. He will conduct independent research in Barcelona on the Alguerese dialect of Catalan, spoken in Alghero, Sardinia. Building on his senior thesis—Lex will examine medieval archives to trace the historical development of the language. At Columbia, Lex completed a minor in Catalan Studies, served as a teaching assistant in Linguistics, and also interned at the New Congress for Catalan Culture during a semester abroad in Barcelona. Beyond academics, Lex was a competitive alpine skier, qualifying for regionals and nationals, and hopes to ski in Europe next winter.
Matthew Oey, GS’24
Matthew Oey grew up in both Singapore and Rutland, Vermont. At Columbia, he majored in History and was a research assistant at SIPA. As a Fulbrighter, he will enroll in the MBA program at Bocconi University in Milan, Italy with the goal of building upon his studies in history to explore how the business world operates in Italy's unique cultural environment. Following his graduation from Bocconi, Matthew will attend Harvard Law School to pursue a JD, and in the long-term plans to work at the intersection of academia, and international and financial law.
Jasmine Posner, CC’25
Emma Potts, CC’24
Originally from Lemont, Illinois, Emma Potts double majored in Political Science and East Asian Languages and Cultures, with a focus on the Korean peninsula. At Columbia, she served as the events coordinator for the Political Science Honor Society (Pi Sigma Alpha) and was a facilitator for the Global Ambassadors Program. Emma also worked throughout her undergraduate years at the Office for Undergraduate Global Engagement (UGE) and interned at The Korea Society. As a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in South Korea, Emma looks forward to creating a classroom environment that encourages cultural exchange, curiosity, and empathy. Following her Fulbright year, she plans to pursue graduate studies and a career in international relations.
Claire Schweitzer, CC’24
A native of the Upper West Side, New York City, Claire Schweitzer will spend her Fulbright year teaching English in Uzbekistan. She studied Political Science as a Saltzman Scholar at Columbia, where her interest in identity polarization and refugee integration was shaped by her family’s history of forced migration—including her grandmother’s experience as a Holocaust refugee in Bukhara, Uzbekistan. Claire’s upcoming Fulbright work reflects her longstanding commitment to cross-cultural understanding, migration studies, and global engagement. She previously studied abroad in Amman, Jordan, and worked at a Syrian refugee camp in Türkiye. Outside the classroom, she was a member of the Columbia Women’s Wrestling Team and served as president of Tamid Group. Following graduation, Claire joined Deloitte’s Global Trade Advisory group and, upon return from her Fulbright year, she plans to pursue graduate studies in international law with a focus on refugee and trade policy.
Serrina Zou, CC’25
Serrina Zou, a San Jose, California native, is a Creative Writing and Sociology major, an award-winning poet, and a dedicated literary advocate. At Columbia, her senior thesis explored structural inequality within higher education, and as Co-President of the Columbia Pre-Law Society, she helped revitalize the organization post-COVID, expanding its reach to more than 500 undergraduates. In New York City, Serrina worked with the House of SpeakEasy and The Poetry Society of New York to combat censorship and promote book access and creative writing education in the city’s “book deserts”—areas historically lacking bookstores and libraries. Outside of her academic and literary pursuits, Serrina is an avid baker and, as a Fulbright grantee, she will travel to Taiwan to teach English, strengthen her Mandarin, and—hopefully—perfect her recipe for Taiwanese pineapple tarts.
Columbia students and alums interested in learning more about the Fulbright US Student Program and other fellowship programs are encouraged to connect with advisors at Undergraduate Research and Fellowships.