15 Pitt Graduates Win 2015 Fulbright Grants

Issue Date: 
July 27, 2015

Fifteen Pitt graduates have been awarded 2015 Fulbright U.S. Student Program Grants. The grants provide recent bachelor’s degree recipients, graduate students, and young professionals opportunities to conduct individually designed study and research projects or English teaching assistantships abroad. 

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is the flagship international educational exchange program for the U.S. government. Established in 1946 and named for the late Senator James William Fulbright, the program is funded through an annual appropriation by the U.S. Congress to the Department of State. 

Pitt graduates receiving Fulbright grants are from the College of Business Administration, the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, and the School of Pharmacy. All graduated in 2015 unless otherwise noted.

Lauren R. Cirrincione, of Robinson Township, Pa., is researching genetic mutations that lead to drug-resistant tuberculosis. She is based at the KwaZulu-Natal Research Institute for Tuberculosis and HIV in South Africa. Cirrincione earned a Doctor of Pharmacy degree in 2015 and a Bachelor of Science degree in pharmaceutical science in 2013. 

Megan L. Carson, of Savannah, Mo., will study international development and education at Newcastle University in England. She plans to pursue a graduate degree in education economics. Carson will graduate next month with a Bachelor of Science degree in actuarial mathematics.

Breanna B. Durham, of Atlanta, Ga., is an English teaching assistant in South Korea. She plans to pursue a career in journalism. Durham earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Writing and interned with Pitt Magazine during the spring 2015 semester.

Aaron M. Foglio, of Wheeling, W.Va., is an English teaching assistant in Taiwan, and he plans to enter medical school when he returns to the United States. Foglio earned a Bachelor of Science degree in neuroscience. 

Sarah Khalbuss, of Paterson, N.J., is an English teaching assistant in Turkey, and she plans to pursue graduate study in international public policy and Middle Eastern cultural studies. Khalbuss earned a Bachelor of Philosophy degree in sociology and international and area studies. 

Kaitlyn M. Livingstone, of Syracuse, N.Y., is an English teaching assistant in Brazil. She plans graduate work to become an English teacher. Livingstone majored in linguistics and Spanish and earned a Bachelor of Arts.

Karen Y. Lue, of Richmond, Va., is an English teaching assistant in Taiwan and plans graduate-level study in the arts. Lue majored in economics and the history of art and architecture and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. 

Nancy M. Mangels, of Baltimore, Md., is an English teaching assistant in Malaysia who plans graduate-level studies in education. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in economics. 

Chelsea B. McGraw, of Gibsonia, Pa., is an English teaching assistant in Malaysia. She plans a career in education. McGraw earned a 2013 Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature. 

Rachel L. McVey, of Bryn Mawr, Pa., is an English teaching assistant in Hungary. She plans graduate work in the study of ethnic identities. McVey earned a 2014 Bachelor of Arts degree in history. 

Lauren K. Mills, of Johnson City, Tenn., is pursuing a Master’s degree in international management at the Instituto de Empresa in Madrid, Spain. She plans to work with U.S. nonprofit social organizations. Mills earned a Bachelor of Science degree in economics and a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration in global management. 

Rachel P. Peters, of Greensburg, Pa., is as an English teaching assistant in Germany. She plans graduate studies to become a high school history teacher. Peters majored in French and history and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. 

Jonathan M. Sherry is an Andrew W. Mellon Dissertation Research Fellow in Pitt’s Department of History. He is conducting archival research in three Spanish cities to analyze the espionage trials of members of the Workers’ Party of Marxist Unification, a Spanish political party, during the Spanish Civil War. Sherry, who received a 2011 Master’s degree in history from Pitt, will continue work on his doctoral dissertation upon his return to the United States. 

Stephen Sloto, of Bryn Mawr, Pa., is an English teaching assistant in Turkey who plans graduate work on second-language acquisition. Sloto majored in anthropology and linguistics, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree.  

Carrie Weintraub, of Huntingdon Valley, Pa., is researching European security policies at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute and the Finnish Institute of International Affairs. She plans a career in the national security services field. Weintraub earned a 2010 Bachelor of Philosophy degree in international and area studies as well as communication and rhetoric.