Fulbright Designates Austin College Alumni Semi-Finalists

SHERMAN, TEXAS – Austin College is pleased to announce that two alumni have achieved semifinalist status in the annual Fulbright U.S. Student Program competition for the 2025-2026 academic year from the U.S. Department of State and Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. The final selections will be announced later this spring after review by the supervising agency in the host countries.

Those selected to receive the Fulbright Grant will spend an academic year abroad engaging with the host community and sharing creative insight while serving as cultural ambassadors for the United States.

Austin College’s semifinalists are:

• Dayannara Salvador ’25 who applied for the South Korea English Teaching Assistantship
• Emma Niewald ’12 who applied for the Kosovo Research Award

More than 2,000 Fulbright U.S. Students—recent college graduates, graduate students, and early career professionals—pursue graduate study, conduct research, or teach English in schools abroad each year. They are recognized alongside more than 800 faculty, researchers, administrators, and established professionals who teach or conduct research in affiliation with institutes abroad annually through the Fulbright US. Scholar Program. Fulbrighters form ongoing research collaborations and lay the groundwork for future partnerships between institutions.

Since 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided over 400,000 talented and accomplished students, scholars, teachers, artists, and professionals of all backgrounds with the opportunity to study, teach, and conduct research abroad. Fulbrighters exchange ideas, build people-to-people connections, and work to address complex global challenges. Notable Fulbrighters include 62 Nobel Laureates, 93 Pulitzer Prize winners, 82 MacArthur Fellows, 44 heads of state or government, and thousands of leaders across the private, public, and non-profit sectors.

Fulbright is a program of the U.S. Department of State, with funding provided by the U.S. Government. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations, and foundations around the world also provide direct and indirect support to the Program, which has operated in over 160 countries worldwide. In the United States, the Institute of International Education implements the Fulbright U.S. Student and U.S. Scholar Programs on behalf of the U.S. Department of State. For more information about the Fulbright Program, visit https://us.fulbrightonline.org/fulbright-us-student-program.

Austin College, a private national liberal arts college located north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas, has earned a reputation for excellence in academic preparation, pre-professional foundations, committed faculty, and hands-on, adventurous learning opportunities. One of 44 schools profiled in Loren Pope’s influential book Colleges That Change Lives, Austin College boasts a welcoming community that embraces diversity and individuality, with more than 50 percent of students identifying as persons of color. The residential student body of approximately 1,300 students and an expert faculty of more than 100 educators allow a 13:1 student-faculty ratio and personalized attention. Related by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA), Austin College cultivates an inclusive atmosphere that supports students’ faith journeys regardless of religious tradition. The College, founded in 1849, is the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original name and charter.