Recent St. Mary's College of Maryland graduates Charlotte Mac Kay '22, Surisitee Motiram '23 and Nicholas Howard '23 have been named semi-finalists in the prestigious Fulbright U.S. Student Program by the U.S. Department of State. The program "offers unparalleled opportunities in all academic disciplines to passionate and accomplished graduating college seniors, graduate students, and young professionals from all backgrounds." Participants receive the opportunity to live abroad and pursue graduate studies, research opportunities or teach English in more than 140 participating countries. Semi-finalists are expected to be notified of their final selection status in the spring of 2024.
Current St. Mary’s College students and alumni may apply for Fulbright awards to teach English abroad, pursue graduate study abroad, or engage in an individual research project for the 2025-2026 cycle beginning this spring. A timeline for the application process—including the deadline for pre-proposals—may be found here: https://www.smcm.edu/ie/ways-to-study-abroad/fulbright/.
Anyone who would like to find out more about Fulbright opportunities or the application process may contact the new Director of Student Fellowships and Awards, Dr. Jennifer Cognard-Black, at: fellowships@smcm.edu.
About the semi-finalists:
Charlotte Mac Kay ’22
Fulbright Semi-Finalist for a Research Award in Greece
Charlotte Mac Kay is a communication specialist for Resettlement and Food Insecurity in Anchorage, Alaska. She graduated from SMCM in 2022 with majors in political science and English, and shortly after became an AmeriCorps VISTA participant at Fresh International Gardens—a refugee-led agricultural cooperative in Anchorage. She now leads content and story creation around resettlement, food insecurity, and other areas of work at Catholic Social Services, a leading nonprofit that hosts Alaska’s only refugee resettlement agency. While at SMCM, she was an active member of the offshore sailing team and editor-in-chief of The Point News. If awarded a Fulbright in Greece, Mac Kay will analyze the ways in which migrants’ planned pathways influence the supportive services they engage, in the hopes of helping to develop a holistic global model of supportive services for migrant populations in the U.S. and abroad.
Surisitee Motiram ’23
Fulbright Semi-Finalist for an English Teaching Assistant Award in Colombia
Surisitee Motiram graduated from SMCM in 2023 with majors in sociology and political science. Now, they work for the Maryland General Assembly as a legislative secretary. Motiram’s ideal career involves working as an immigration lawyer to help change the U.S. immigration system, including helping migrants navigate this system. Thus, a Fulbright grant to teach English in Colombia would be a perfect opportunity for extending their Spanish proficiency as well as for learning more about the intertwined and often fraught migration dynamics between the U.S. and Colombia. One of the most helpful insights shared with Motiram since graduation has been when someone said, “feeling stupid is really just becoming more aware of all the things you’ve yet to learn.” Motiram intends to keep learning as they move towards the next chapter of their life.
Nicholas Howard ’23
Fulbright Semi-Finalist for an English Teaching Assistant Award in the Slovak Republic
Nicholas Howard graduated with honors from SMCM in 2023, with a major in international languages and cultures: French and Chinese. His senior thesis researched how studying abroad in France influenced Chinese author Ba Jin. Howard participated in numerous extracurricular activities while at SMCM, including being an executive board member of the Student Government Association and president of the History Club. He also worked as a resident assistant for the Office of Residence Life. Howard received the award for Excellence in International Languages and Cultures in May 2023 and taught English in Grenoble, France from September to December 2023. Having the opportunity to teach English in the Slovak Republic would allow Howard to explore his own heritage while studying Slovakia’s recent history and people’s thoughts towards democratic rule. Currently, he works and volunteers as an emergency medical technician and is employed as a legislative assistant for Delegate Kevin Harris in Annapolis, Maryland.
