Four students from Florida State University have been chosen for the 2025 Fulbright U.S. Student Program, an initiative run by the U.S. Department of State to promote international educational exchange. The selected students will travel to Argentina, Colombia, the Slovak Republic, and the United Kingdom to participate in teaching, study, and cultural exchange activities.
The recipients include Rania Chehaitli, Isabella DiGiorgio, Seth Kehr, and Amelia Rivers. Their projects range from teaching English in South America and Eastern Europe to pursuing graduate studies in the United Kingdom.
Keith McCall, acting director of the Office of Graduate Fellowships and Awards for 2025-2026 at FSU, said: “The Fulbright program is a vital conduit for connecting FSU and the wider world, allowing students to engage in meaningful research, teaching and cultural exchange. We look forward each year to working with interested applicants and learning about their desire to build a more interconnected world.”
The Fulbright Program is primarily funded through an annual appropriation from Congress to the Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Additional support comes from partner governments, host institutions, and private organizations worldwide. Each year it selects participants based on academic or professional excellence as well as leadership potential. The program operates in over 160 countries.
Bonnie Garcia-Gloeckner, associate director of the Office of National Fellowships at FSU said: “Rania, Isabella, Seth and Amelia embody the values and mission of the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. They showcase some of the best qualities of the US and FSU abroad. We are excited about the positive impact they will make this year and in those to come.”
Rania Chehaitli graduated from FSU with degrees in political science and international affairs. She is attending Ulster University in Belfast through a Fulbright Graduate Study Award for a Master of Laws in Gender and Human Rights at its Transitional Justice Institute. Chehaitli stated: “Having access to this type of legal history will give me an enhanced perspective on the international system to supplement my American lens. The Transitional Justice Institute at Ulster University is centered on legal research surrounding conflict and transition periods, essential to the understanding of practical implementation of protections for human rights.”
Amelia Rivers completed her Master’s degree in musicology at FSU last spring; she is now teaching English at Universidad Católica de Oriente in Rionegro, Colombia through a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship (ETA). Rivers commented: “Having written my thesis on joropo—the music of the llaneros—I have a unique opportunity to involve myself in Colombian music culture. There is a thriving music curriculum at UCO, and I have joined several bands, choirs, theatre troupes, dance ensembles, and radio classes.”
Seth Kehr earned his bachelor’s degree in management information systems from FSU last fall; he teaches English at a high school in Slovakia under another ETA grant while researching how EU single market policies affect developing countries there. He said: “The program allows me to further my passions for teaching and global acceptance as an American cultural ambassador. It is an honor to be part of a remarkable group, and we are all bringing to the table unique and innovative ways to make a lasting impact on Slovak students and communities.”
Isabella DiGiorgio graduated with her bachelor’s degree in linguistics last spring; she teaches English at university level students in Argentina via another ETA award while exploring her family heritage there for the first time. DiGiorgio said: “I’m really excited to work with an older group of students since my only experience has been with children,” she said. “I’m also excited to see where my dad grew up, learn about my family and explore my sense of pride for a country that’s been instilled in me since I was born but one I’ve never visited.”
FSU encourages interested undergraduate or graduate students considering future applications for Fulbright awards or similar opportunities abroad to contact either its Office of National Fellowships or Office of Graduate Fellowships and Awards.
