Angela Des Jardins and Tristan Sampley

Associate research professor, Angela Des Jardins, and MSU senior, Tristan Sampley are awarded prestegious Fulbright grants for 2024. Top MSU photo by Kelly Gorham. Bottom MSU photo by Marcus "Doc" Cravens.

 

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program provides grants for individually designed study/research projects or for English Teaching Assistant Programs. A candidate will submit a Statement of Grant Purpose defining activities to take place during one academic year in a participating country outside the U.S.

During their grants, Fulbrighters will meet, work, live with and learn from the people of the host country, sharing daily experiences. The program facilitates cultural exchange through direct interaction on an individual basis in the classroom, field, home, and in routine tasks, allowing the grantee to gain an appreciation of others’ viewpoints and beliefs, the way they do things, and the way they think.

Through engagement in the community, the individual will interact with their hosts on a one-to-one basis in an atmosphere of openness, academic integrity, and intellectual freedom, thereby promoting mutual understanding.

Montana State University has produced 18 Fulbright Scholars since 2015. Learn more about each of them below!

 

 

18

Fulbright Scholars have come from MSU since 2015.

41

Fulbright Scholars have come from MSU since the scholarship's founding.

1,700

Students enrolled in Honors courses across campus.

 

 
 

Meet our Fulbright Scholars

 

Tristan Sampley | 2024

 
 

Tristan Sampley

"“I will gain exposure to the academic research side of things, in contrast with my previous industry experience. I also look forward to working in a French-speaking lab and honing my fluency."

Learn more about Tristan's experience>>

Hometown: Eugene, Oregon

Field of Study: Mechanical Engineering and French

Angela Des Jardins | 2024

 
 

Angela Des Jardins

"I’m looking forward to bringing lessons I’ve learned to help Zambia with the education part of starting their space program as well as bringing home what I learn from them."

Learn more about Angela's experience>>

MSU Title: Associate Research Professor

Department: Physics

Olivia Gervacio Jakabosky | 2023

 
 

Olivia Jakabosky

"The distinctive personal qualities that make Olivia stand out are her keen interest in science and her dedication to exploring opportunities within and outside MSU to hone her ecological research skills."

Learn more about Olivia's experience>>

Hometown:

Cameron Park, California

Field of Study:

Conservation Biology and Ecology with minors in Sociology and Global Studies

Kayla Hay | 2023

 
 

Kayla Hay poses for graduation photo

"I really want to teach German in the U.S. eventually, and having time immersed in the country will make me a much more qualified German educator than if I hadn’t had that time over there."

Learn more about Kayla's experience>>

Hometown:

Wrangell, Alaska

Field of Study: 

German and Secondary Education

Mikaela Byers | 2023

 
 

Mikaela Byers

 "I will bring this motivation to the classroom in Colombia so that my students feel supported to achieve their language goals. In Colombia, I will not only be a caring educator, but an eager student – excited to learn from my students and fellow teachers."

Learn more about Mikaela's experience>>

Hometown: 

Santa Cruz, California

Field of Study: 

Political Science

Jack Pearson | 2022

  
 

Jack Pearson

“It’s an intriguing topic because the river is a complicated water resource, located in one of the most water-scarce countries on the planet.” 

Learn more about Jack's experience>>

Hometown:

Evergreen, Colorado

Field of Study:

Directed Interdisciplinary Studies combining History of Science, the Environment, Technology and Society; English and Cell Biology and Neuroscience

Hannah Telling | 2020

 
 
Hannah Telling headshot

"I want to focus on how memories of various events are integrated into the classroom in the form of instructional units. This will allow me to study how Serbian classrooms’ use of memory impacts identity and community structures which, in return, will inform my teaching practices and integration of (Indian Education for All) back in Montana.”

Learn more about Hannah's experience>>

Hometown:
Dillon, Montana

Fields of Study:
English Education, Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

 
 
 

Morgan Craig | 2019

 
 
Morgan Craig headshot

“I am excited most for meeting students from all over the world and getting a more diverse cultural experience. It’s also going to be cool to experience the U.K. and its culture. I know it’s still an English-speaking country, but I think there are going to be a lot of really cool things I get to learn.”

Learn more about Morgan's experience>>

 

Hometown:
Billings, Montana

Field of Study:
History

 
 
 

McCall Voy | 2019

 
 
McCall Voy headshot

“I would teach our exchange students; they would teach me. would ask a million questions and sort of pester them over and over. ‘What’s it like there? What’s this and that like?’ I was just fascinated by other countries, and I didn’t realize at the time that I chose my life’s path. I love languages and started learning new ones.”

Learn more about McCall's experience>>

Hometown:
Great Falls, Montana

Fields of Study:
Liberal Studies, Anthropology, French

 
 
 

Hannah Wilson | 2019

 
 
Hannah Wilson headshot

“Colleagues I met at the tribunal who grew up during the Yugoslav wars inspired me to learn more about their histories and cultures. I plan to learn as much as I teach. I believe classrooms are important channels for diplomacy, and I am excited to share my Montana culture with students in Serbia. I hope they will share theirs with me.”

Learn more about Hannah's experience>>

Hometown:
Kalispell, Montana

Field of Study: 
History, Economics

 
 
 

Lauren Adams | 2018

 
 
Lauren Adams headshot

“Ultimately, I hope this work will enable me to establish worldwide friendships and come home a better learner and teacher. I’ve never been outside of the U.S. so I thought it would be perfect for me."

Learn more about Lauren's experience>>

 

Hometown:
Belgrade, Montana

Field of Study:
English

 
 
 

Susan Massar | 2018

 
 
Susan Massar headshot

“Just when I was getting comfortable with language proficiency and had made a group of friends in Chile, it was already time to go home. The opportunity to return with a Fulbright in an ag-related research capacity is amazing.”

Learn more about Susan's experience>>

Hometown:
Circle, Montana

Fields of Study:
Crop Science, Natural Resources, Rangeland Ecology, Hispanic Studies

 
 
 

Sarah Coldiron | 2017

 
 
Sarah Coldiron headshot

“I’ve worked on ways to make foreign language content relatable to students, which I think will help as I teach English to students in South Korea."

Learn more about Sarah's experience>>

Hometown: Boise, Idaho

Field of Study: English

 
 
 

Maureen Kessler | 2017

 
 
Maureen Kessler headshot

“Maureen is an excellent student whose research is at the interface of public health and environmental change. She will be working on a high profile bat-virus system that is considered a model system for Ebola, Marburg and Nipah virus--all pathogens that are potential pandemic threats.”

Learn more about Maureen's experience>>

Hometown: Los Lunas, New Mexico

Field of Study: Ecology

 
 
 

Karsten Lorentz | 2016

 
 
Karsten Lorentz headshot

"Ever since I was little, I was fascinated with how things work. By working with geology, I can slowly learn about the largest and most complex thing there is -- the Earth itself. With my family, it has always been a trend that nearly every moment after you walk out the door in the morning (and occasionally before), life is a grand adventure."

Learn more about Karsten's experience>>

Hometown: Wenatchee, Washington

Field of Study: Geology

 
 
 

Casianne Lund | 2016

 
 
Casianne Lund headshot

 "Lund’s experience in Senegal led Lund to apply for a Fulbright in Malaysia, a part of the world she has not yet visited and which has another set of languages and customs. She will teach English there and hopes to use her interest in women’s studies to develop an after school  reading program for girls that will use English literature to facilitate discussion of girl’s issues in the Muslim country."

Learn more about Casianne's experience>>

Hometown: Darien, Illinois

Fields of Study: Psychology, French, Women's Studies

 
 
 

Megan Rothstein | 2015

 
 

Megan Rothstein headshot

"For a while I waffled between patient care and research, but after working in Renee’s lab and seeing that there is this real potential that we can make some of these diseases obsolete, it became really clear. I really like the lab experience. It just happens that I’ve been really fortunate in having this chance to work with someone doing groundbreaking research at MSU. I’ve been really lucky.”

Learn more about Megan's experience>>

Hometown: Billings, Montana

Field of Study: Cell Biology & Neuroscience

 
 
 

Brent Zundel | 2015

 
 

Brent Zundel headshot

“The more I researched Chile more I was hooked. Chile's landscape is second to none, transitioning from the Atacama – the driest desert in the world – in the north to a Mediterranean-like central valley and then to fjords, mountains and rivers in Patagonia. Having grown up in Montana, I found that landscape very compelling.”

Learn more about Brent's experience>>

Hometown: Billings, Montana

Fields of Study: Civil Engineering, Spanish

 
 
 

Mica Jenkins | 2014

 
 

Mica Jenkins headshot

“I think it is important to think about sustainable agricultural development in terms of the local context. My research will include surveys, interviews and focus groups with people in different communities to see which varieties of potato they prefer and which are drought tolerant.”

Learn more about Mica's experience>>

Hometown: Lenoir City, Tennesse

Field of Study: Sustainable Food Systems

 
 
 

Gabe Lavin | 2014

 
 

Gabe Lavin headshot

"I am exploring different cultures through the art of music. Oman is in the midst of a musical renaissance. I want to help bring different cultures together through music, and Oman is the ideal place to do it."

Learn more about Gabe's experience>>

Hometown: Bozeman, Montana

Field of Study: Anthropology

 
 
 

Elizabeth Browning | 2013

 
 
 

"I think I first started studying German because few people took it and my friend and I thought we could talk together and no one would understand us But, I quickly developed a love for the German language and culture. "The more I learned, the more I was inspired. It's such an interesting country."

Learn more about Elizabeth's experience>>

Hometown:

Fields of Study: English, German Studies

 
 
 

Angela Brennan | 2012

 
 

Angela Brennan headshot

"Wildebeest are the dominant herbivore on the landscape," Brennan said. "Like bison once did on the Great Plains of North America, they play a pivotal role in the Liuwa region's ecology. And that's why working on their conservation is so important. Part of this will be trying to definitively map out where the villages and cattle grazing areas are and how they intersect with migration routes."

Learn more about Angela's experience>>

Hometown: Minnesota

Field of Study:
Ecology

 

 
 
 

Dan Cornish | 2011

 
 

Dan Cornish headshot

"Cornish, who is now completing course requirements that will allow him to apply to medical school, said that when he first arrived at MSU as a freshman he was "unfocused and undirected." He credits excellent faculty at MSU who inspired him -- Ian van Coller and Kyle Bajakian in photography, Nora Smith, then in University Studies, and Russell Walker in math."

Learn more about Dan's experience>>

Hometown: Butte, Montana

Field of Study: Math, Photography

 
 
 

Sasha Dingle | 2011

 
 

Sasha Dingle headshot

"Dingle came to MSU to ski on the alpine team and is leaving with a commitment to complete a Ph.D. and pursue a career in global public health and social work. Dingle said her life plans were transformed by her position at the MSU Leadership Institute and a University Honors Program trip to the Dominican Republic, which stirred an interest in international development and health."

Learn more about Sasha's experience>>

Hometown: Jericho, Vermont

Field of Study: Psychology

 
 
 

Jayme Kreitinger | 2011

 
 

Jayme headshot

"Kreitinger, who has helped countless MSU students see the world with international student exchanges, knows what it is like to have an itch to travel. She completed two exchanges when she was an MSU undergraduate majoring in modern languages. Her first, her sophomore year, was to Spain. While there she took an excursion to Morocco, which she called 'a magical experience.'"

Learn more about Jayme's experience>>

Hometown: Manhattan, Montana

Field of Study: Public Administration

 
 
 

Jill Roberts | 2010

 
 

Jill Roberts headshot

"Jill combines intellectual ambition with a generosity of spirit and a commitment to hard work," Simpson said. "She's so well-rounded and energetic--she plays violin, studies math and German, and tutors in her field. The Fulbright is a wonderful opportunity for her to gain teaching experience and for her students and co-workers to benefit from her expertise as well."

Learn more about Jill's experience>>

Hometown: Billings, Montana

Field of Study: Math Education

 

 


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