Two CEHS students named Fulbright semifinalists

23 Feb 2021    

Two students in the College of Education and Human Sciences at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln have been named semifinalists for the 2021-22 Fulbright U.S. Student Program by the U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. Final selection will be later this spring. 

• Eric Hanzel, a senior nutrition and health sciences major from Columbus, is preparing for a public health career. He has applied to teach English in Spain.
• Molly Sambol, a senior English and language arts education major from Omaha, has applied to teach English in South Korea.

In total, 14 students at the university were named Fulbright semifinalists. The news comes as the university was named a top-producing institution for student Fulbrights for the 2020-21 academic year. Learn more. 

The Fulbright award supports study, research and teaching English abroad for about 10 months. Recipients are selected on the basis of academic and professional achievement, as well as record of service and leadership potential in their respective fields. The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs is the Fulbright Program’s sponsor. IIE administers the Fulbright U.S. Student Program on behalf of the State Department.

Fulbright applications were due last October. Over 11,000 applications were received by the Institute of International Education for review by national screening committees. Since each country releases its selections at different times, the final status of an application may be released any time between February and May. This year, the COVID-19 pandemic has complicated the selection in that some of the students listed were awarded Fulbrights in 2020-21 and were asked to reapply for this round.