Whitties Earned Dozens of Noteworthy Fellowships & Grants This Year
Recipients will travel across the U.S. and around the world to research, teach, explore and serve
By Bradley Nelson
This year, Whitman College students and alumni were awarded more than 45 competitive grants, fellowships and scholarships to support advanced research, international and graduate study, community-based initiatives, and career exploration in the United States and globally. They join more than 500 fellow Whitties who have earned prestigious fellowships and grants in the past two decades.
The Fellowships and Grants team in the Career and Community Engagement Center advises Whitman students and alumni in their pursuit of grants, fellowships and scholarships.
“Earning a nationally competitive, merit-based award is one possible outcome of an intellectually and creatively rigorous Whitman College education,” says Dr. Jess Hernandez, Director of Fellowships and Grants. “However, the value of these opportunities goes far beyond the award; applicants gain a deeper self-awareness, clarity about what truly motivates them, and the persistence to keep moving forward regardless of challenges or uncertainty.”
Below we highlight the many Whitties who were fellowship or grant recipients in the 2025–2026 academic year.
Graduate Study
Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Scholarship
The Erasmus Mundus Joint Master is an international master’s degree program offered by a consortium of institutions of higher education. The scholarship is awarded to high-achieving students for programs of 12–24 months in duration and taking place in at least two countries.
- Jara Moreno Arostegui ’26 (Environmental Contamination and Toxicology + One Health)
ASU Presidential Graduate Assistantship
The Arizona State University (ASU) Presidential Graduate Assistantship is a merit-based award given to graduate students whose research, teaching and service will help advance the ASU Charter. The award provides 100% tuition and a TA or RA position with stipend for up to four years while pursuing a doctoral degree at ASU.
- Andrea Diaz-Garcia ’25 (Spanish Literatures and Cultures)
International Study
Gilman International Scholarship
The U.S. Department of State’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship enables undergraduates of limited financial means to study or intern abroad. Recipients gain skills critical to national security and economic prosperity.
- Micaela Brown ’27 (DIS: Danish Institute for Study Abroad, Denmark)
- Sequoia Dukes ’27 (SIT: School for International Training, Ecuador)
- Emani Ferdinand ’27 (CET Taiwan, Taiwan)
- Sophia Freeman ’27 (University of Otago, New Zealand)
- Teagan Mullen ’28 (Culture, Ecology, and Community, Thailand)
- Jane-Abigail Rogg-Wilde ’27 (University of Otago, New Zealand)
- Mairi Sessions ’27 (SFS: School for Field Studies, Chile)
- Ella Tyroler ’27 (University of Otago, New Zealand)
- Amy Vallejo ’28 (SFS: Patagonia Fire and Ice, Chile)
Gilman-McCain International Scholarship
The U.S. Department of State’s John S. McCain International Scholarship for Military Families provides support for child and spousal dependents of active or activated U.S. military personnel to study or intern abroad.
- Brenna Mack ’27 (University of St. Andrews, Scotland)
Destination: Everywhere!
Follow along as Whitties travel the world through Whitman’s wide range of study abroad programs. Read students’ study abroad blogs.
International Affairs & Policy
NextGen Service Summer Policy Academy
The NextGen Service Summer Policy Academy is an innovative program designed to empower juniors to explore meaningful and impactful careers in public service.
- Sebastián Vera Cuevas ’27 (University of Washington, Evans School of Public Policy and Governance)
Leadership
Alaska Fellows Program
The Alaska Fellows Program is a yearlong fellowship program that builds the next generation of Alaska-based leaders by pairing talented young people with strong communities and professional mentors.
- Adam Simon ’26 (Sitka Counseling and Prevention Services)
Bassett Traveling Fellowship
Whitman’s Bassett Traveling Fellowship offers graduating seniors the opportunity to travel abroad after graduation.
- Ruth Iiyambo ’26* (Ghana, Namibia and Kenya)
- Ishaan Swami ’26 (Mongolia)
Two Whitman Grads Named 2026 Bassett Fellows
Read more about how the Bassett Traveling Fellowship will support this year’s recipients in exploring their passions on a global scale and taking their learning out into the world.
Maternal Child Health Careers/Research Initiatives for Student Enhancement–Undergraduate Summer Program (MCHC/RISE-UP)
A partnership between UC Davis Health and the Kennedy Krieger Institute, MCHC/RISE-UP is a public health leadership training program focused on maternal and child health.
- Catherine Gallo ’27
Thomas J. Watson Fellowship
The Watson Fellowship is a nationally competitive leadership grant that supports graduating seniors interested in pursuing a yearlong, self-designed project abroad on an issue of interest.
- Riley Cooper ’26 (“Working Companions: Animals, Labor, and Livelihood” in Iceland, Japan, Peru, England, Australia, Kyrgyzstan)
- Maryanne Ndung’u ’26 (“Community, Capital, and Continuity in Necessity-Driven Businesses” in South Africa, The Gambia, Ghana, Morocco, Tanzania)
- Darta Sipola ’26 (“Exploring Innovations in Rural Healthcare Access” in Fiji, New Zealand, Nepal, Sweden, Senegal, Greece, Peru, Bolivia
Three Whitman Grads Named 2026 Watson Fellows
This year, Whitman College had the most Watson Fellows selected of any of the 41 U.S. colleges and universities who were eligible to nominate students. Read more.
Peace & Justice
Projects for Peace Award
Projects for Peace is an initiative for students at Davis United World College partner schools, including Whitman, to design grassroots projects for the summer—anywhere in the world—that promote peace and address the root causes of conflict.
- Shrijana Tamang ’28* and Sitamaya Tamang ’28* (“Breaking Barriers, Building Bridges,” Nepal)
Washington Bus Summer Fellowship
The Bus Fellowship is a 10-week political, social justice and community-building program for young people. Fellows spend the summer grassroots organizing, building community and driving progressive change in Seattle.
- Natalie Fearn ’27
Research
Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship
The Goldwater Scholarship is awarded to college sophomores and juniors pursuing careers in the natural sciences, mathematics and engineering and aims to develop the next generation of U.S. research leaders in these critical fields.
- John Bannon ’27 (Mathematics-Physics)
- Keenan RiggsTurpin ’27 (Chemistry)
Two Blues Named 2026 Goldwater Scholars
Since the Goldwater Scholarship was established in 1986, Whitman has produced 16 Goldwater Scholars. Read more about this year’s recipients.
Fulbright U.S. Student Program Awards
Fulbright Awards support individually designed graduate study, research, arts projects or English teaching assistantships. Fulbrighters participate in cultural exchange and gain a deeper appreciation of diverse viewpoints, beliefs and practices.
- Darta Sipola ’26 (Independent Research Award, Switzerland)
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP)
The purpose of the NSF GRFP is to help ensure the vitality and diversity of the scientific and engineering workforce in the United States. The program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students who are pursuing research-based graduate degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields, including STEM education.
- Ellie (Kaleo) Toguchi-Tani ’25 (Physics and Astronomy—Astronomy and Astrophysics)
Research Experiences for Undergraduates
Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REUs and iREUs), Research and Extension Experiences for Undergraduates (REEUs), Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURFs), and Summer Undergraduate Research Programs (SURPs) are competitive summer research programs for undergraduates interested in STEM-focused fields. The following programs are sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), and various universities, clinics, and laboratories.
- John Bannon ’27
- (NSF REU, University of Washington, Center for Integration of Modern Optoelectronic Materials on Demand)
- (NSF REU, University of Washington, Molecular Engineering Materials Center)
- (NSF REU, University of Washington, Quantum@UW)
- Josie Blair ’27 (NSF REU, University of Michigan, Cognition and Early Development)
- Charlotte Calero ’28 (REU, University of Washington, Friday Harbor Laboratories)
- Lauren Dorris ’27 (SURP, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Division of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases)
- Pablo Gonzalez Jr. ’27 (REEU, Washington State University, Agriculture in Changing Climate)
- Shahin Hamzeh ’26* (SURF, Mayo Clinic, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology)
- Lily Kamila ’28 (NSF iREU, Northumbria University, Digital Civics Exchange for Citizen-Centered Artificial Intelligence)
- Riki Kobayashi ’27 (SURP, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Division of Human Biology)
- Ingrid Noren ’27 (REU, University of Washington, Friday Harbor Laboratories)
- Renn Novak ’27 (SURF, Mayo Clinic, Clinical and Translational Science)
- Juliette Silvers ’27 (NSF REU, Oregon State University, From Estuaries to the Deep Sea)
- Caitlyn Taylor ’27
- (REEU, University of Minnesota, Sustainability Opportunities in Agricultural Research)
- (REEU, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Applied Plant Systems)
- (USDA NIFA REEU, Texas A&M University–Kingsville, Research and Extension Experience in Energy and the Environment Across Agriculture Disciplines)
- Erfan Vaezpour ’28 (SURF, Mayo Clinic, Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics)
- Ahmad Zinou ’28* (NSF REU, Keck Geology Consortium, Late Cretaceous Ecosystems of Wyoming)
Teaching
Breakthrough Collaborative Teaching Fellowship
The Breakthrough Collaborative Teaching Fellowship is a summer teaching opportunity for students committed to personal growth, education equity and leadership development. Teaching Fellows receive 100+ hours of teaching training and teach highly motivated middle or high school students in under-resourced communities.
- Allie Fredrickson ’29 (Philadelphia)
Fulbright U.S. Student Program Awards
Fulbright Awards support individually designed graduate study, research, arts projects or teaching assistantships. Fulbrighters participate in cultural exchange and gain a deeper appreciation of diverse viewpoints, beliefs and practices. To date, more than 100 Whitman students and alumni have received a Fulbright Award.
- Ruby Beard ’24 (English Teaching Assistantship, Taiwan)
- Emily Hoffmeister ’23 (English Teaching Assistantship, Czech Republic)
- Chase Schubert ’26 (English Teaching Assistantship, Thailand)
Teaching Assistant Program in France (TAPIF)
Through TAPIF, the French Ministry of Education and the Cultural Services of the French Embassy offer English language teaching assistantships in French primary and secondary schools as well as in various French teaching colleges in all regions of France and the French overseas departments of French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Réunion.
- Grayson Gresham ’26
- Ishaan Swami ’26
Explore Your Opportunities
For more information about fellowship and grant opportunities and how the application process works, contact Dr. Jess Hernandez, Director of Fellowships and Grants, or Jenny Stratton, Administrative Assistant for Fellowships and Grants.