The Fulbright Program selected 10 University of Alabama students for various awards for the 2026-2027 academic year.
The Fulbright U.S. Student Program broadens perspectives through academic and professional growth and cross-cultural exchange. In partnership with more than 140 countries, it offers opportunities for graduating seniors, graduate students and young professionals to study, conduct research or teach English abroad. The program also supports knowledge, innovation and solutions to complex global challenges.
In February, UA was recognized as a Top Producing Institution of Fulbright U.S. Students for the ninth time in 11 years.
Sage McCann, of Boaz, was offered a Fulbright Student Research Award to research “The Development of Vehicle Body Modeling and Simulation” at Esslingen University of Applied Sciences in Esslingen, Germany, under the mentorship of Dr. Alexander Müller in the Laboratory for Vehicle and Body Design. McCann graduated summa cum laude in May with a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering and a Bachelor of Arts in German with a minor in liberal arts through the Blount Scholars Program.
Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship Awardees
Luke Bowman, of Brentwood, Tennessee, graduated magna cum laude in May with a Bachelor of Arts in history and German and a Bachelor of Science in mathematics. Bowman was a member of the Honors College and Phi Beta Kappa. He was selected to teach English in Germany.
Isabelle Cahill, of Goshen, Kentucky, graduated summa cum laude in December 2025 with a Bachelor of Arts in criminology and a minor in the Blount Scholars Program, as well as a Bachelor of Science with double majors in psychology and Spanish. She will earn a master’s degree in criminology in December. She was selected to teach English in Argentina.
JJ Chehab, from Evanston, Illinois, graduated from the Honors College summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in finance and economics, and a minor in history in May. During his time at UA, he served on the Student Government Association Belonging & Wellness Committee, participated in the Honors Action and Engaged Tuscaloosa volunteer programs, and was the secretary for the Theta Xi Fraternity. He was selected to teach English in Galicia, Spain.
Lauren Chumbley, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is a May summa cum laude Honors College graduate and member of the Phi Beta Kappa Honors Society. She received bachelor’s degrees in English and German. She was selected to teach English in Germany.
Aidan Flynn, of Katy, Texas, is a 2026 summa cum laude Honors College graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in international studies and political science with minors in German and French, along with a master’s degree in public administration. He has been selected to teach English in Germany.
Emily Graciela “Eggie” Gil, a Miami-born writer of Cuban descent, earned a Master of Arts in teaching English to speakers of other languages and Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from UA. She taught advanced composition as an instructor of record for the First-Year Writing Program in the department of English and volunteered at La Escuelita de Inglés, a community-based ESL program for the Hispanic/Latino population of Tuscaloosa. After serving as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Madrid, Spain, Eggie will pursue a doctoral degree in teaching and learning with a concentration in language, literacy, literature and culture at Florida International University.
James Golen, of Elmhurst, Illinois, will be spending next year at the Białystok University of Technology in Białystok, Poland, teaching English. He graduated summa cum laude in 2025 with a double major in economics and history with a minor in mathematics and a Master of Arts in quantitative economics. He was also a member of Phi Beta Kappa.
Jason Templeton, of Sandy Springs, Georgia, graduated in 2024 with a Bachelor of Arts in music technology and culture with a minor in Spanish. Since January 2025, he has been working towards master’s and doctoral degrees in Spanish linguistics. He has been selected to teach English in Argentina.
Maggie Zavgren, of Wilton, New Hampshire, earned a Bachelor of Arts in written arts and literature from Bard College in 2018. She graduated from the UA in 2026 with a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing and Master of Arts in German. For her MFA thesis, Zavgren translated the collected works of poet Georg Trakl. She was selected to teach English in Germany.
Additionally, four students were awarded alternate status in this year’s national competition and may have the opportunity to serve abroad if more funding becomes available or if a finalist is unable to participate. They are Aubrei Grisaffe (Slovak Republic), Eoin O’Hearn (Argentina), Perrin Larkin (Brazil) and Luke Richardson (Luxembourg).
Students with an interest in applying for next year’s Fulbright program can learn more on the Capstone International Center website.