Education 7.27.25 - Flipbook - Page 3
The Baltimore Sun | Sunday, July 27, 2025 3
Opening Doors to the World:
Fellowships Fuel SU Student Success
B
ig dreams start small — in
a classroom, a conversation,
in the belief that you’re
capable of anything. At
Salisbury University, that
belief is everywhere.
With the support of dedicated
faculty
and
the
Salisbury
Nationally Competitive Fellowships
Office (SNCFO), more than 100
SU students and alumni have
earned prestigious national and
international awards over the past
decade, including the Fulbright,
Goldwater, Boren, Gilman and
Critical Language Scholarships.
For chemistry major Andersen
Herman ’25, the journey began with
curiosity and a childhood memory.
After experiencing malaria as a
young boy in Haiti, he arrived at SU
driven by a desire to study infectious
diseases. With mentorship and
guidance, he built an academic
path that led to his selection as a
2025-26 U.S. Fulbright Student in
the Slovak Republic to research
antibiotic resistance. He’ll also
mentor local students, sharing his
story as an immigrant and firstgeneration college student.
“As a student researcher with a
passion for understanding infectious
diseases, I am excited to go to
Slovakia to research antibacterial
resistance, which is a major global
health issue,” said Herman, who
also earned Boren, Gilman and
Critical Language Scholarships. “I
aim to support students’ English
language learning and inspire them
through my experiences.”
SU has been named a top
producer of Fulbright Students for
seven years — and the results
go far beyond a resumé boost.
These experiences change lives
and broaden horizons.
“Education is a global, shared
experience, and the Fulbright
program allows students like
Andersen and Vicky an opportunity
to enrich their own lives while
sharing in the lives of others,” said
SU President Carolyn Ringer Lepre.
Vicky Vazquez ’25, another
2025-26 Fulbright recipient, will
teach English in Thailand. Rooted
in her own bilingual upbringing,
she hopes to bring a culturally
responsive approach to language
education.
“Providing others with the
opportunity to learn English is
crucial,” she said. “I want to create
an environment where people can
learn without having to compromise
their identity and culture.”
Students across disciplines find
their path through fellowships.
Public health major Jenna Peace,
recently named a 2025 Outstanding
Undergraduate Student of the Year
by the National Health Education
Honor Society, credits her SU
community for her success.
“The majority of my success is
due to the support of my public
health peers and professors in
the program,” she said. “We have
a true close-knit community that
is always there to support one
another. You can tell how much the
faculty care about their students
and how passionate they are about
their areas of study.”
Peace plans to use her award
experience to help others on
campus pursue grants and
innovative outreach.
“I’m so excited and inspired to
help SU public health students
explore grants and new educational
opportunities,” she said.
For SU alumni, fellowships often
launch meaningful careers and new
directions. Melanie Staszewski ’22
found her Fulbright in Poland deeply
connected to her undergraduate
experiences.
“I am so grateful I had a surplus
of opportunities to get involved
at SU,” she said. “They directly
translated to what I did in Poland
and my career.”
The same is true for Christian
Ciattei ’22, a Goldwater and
Fulbright recipient who conducted
primate conservation research in
Brazil.
“Through the opportunities I
received at SU, I set myself up to
make a real difference,” he said.
“I don’t think I would have had an
opportunity like this without the
mentorship and interdisciplinary
education I got there.”
SU welcomes undergraduates,
seniors and alumni to explore over
two dozen fellowship programs,
from the Fulbright and Gilman to
the Marshall and Rhodes. From
the first conversation to the final
application, students work oneon-one with faculty and staff Salisbury University alumnus Andersen Herman ’25 in
who believe in their potential — Arusha, Tanzania, where he is currently learning Swahili.
sometimes before they even believe
in it themselves.
at SU put in so much work, purely
“Fellowships like this completely because they believed in me and
turned around my academic saw my potential — and they did
career,” said Aida Dodoo ’22, not stop until I realized it.”
recipient of the Fulbright, Boren
At Salisbury University, big
and United Nations Millennium dreams are just the beginning —
Fellowship. “The faculty and staff and the world is waiting for you.
Salisbury University alumnus Andersen Herman ’25 in Arusha, Tanzania, where he is currently learning Swahili.
