“Winning a Fulbright is the result of an extremely competitive process in which many outstanding students compete for this prestigious honor each year,” said Marshall University President Jerome Gilbert. “I am very proud of Marshall graduate Hailey Hughes for being selected. I wish her the best in her studies at College Cork.”
Hughes is currently a student at the University of West Georgia, getting her M.A. in English.
“Hailey’s success brings recognition to both Marshall and West Georgia,” Gilbert said. “She is another excellent example of how our graduates are prepared to excel after their time at Marshall.”
Hughes is the first Marshall University student since 1967 to recieve a Fulbright study/research grant. Marshall University had one other alumna, Ashley Clark, receive a Fulbright English Teaching award in 2015.
“I’m excited I won the award because I can engage deeper with the international disability community now,” Hughes said. “I’m excited to go to Ireland because I have family roots there—I’m open to experiencing everything Ireland and the Fulbright have to offer.”
Hughes said she would like to thank the Marshall University Department of English and Marshall’s Office of National Scholarships for their support throughout the application process.
Hughes is one of over 1,900 U.S. citizens who will conduct research, teach English, and provide expertise abroad for the 2018-2019 academic year through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. Recipients of Fulbright awards are selected on the basis of academic and professional achievement as well as record of service and leadership potential in their respective fields.
The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to build lasting connections between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. The Fulbright Program is funded through an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations and foundations around the world also provide direct and indirect support to the program, which operates in over 160 countries worldwide.
Since its inception in 1946, the Fulbright Program has given more than 380,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists, professionals and scientists the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas, and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.
Fulbrighters address critical global challenges in all areas while building relationships, knowledge and leadership in support of the long-term interests of the United States. Fulbright alumni have achieved distinction in many fields, including 59 who have been awarded the Nobel Prize, 82 who have received Pulitzer Prizes, and 37 who have served as a heads of state or government.
For further information about the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State, please visit https://us.fulbrightonline.org/.