Marisa Rudolph ’18 to conduct research in Ghana through Fulbright Fellowship
Marisa Rudolph ’18, a political science and environmental science double major from Fort Collins, Colorado, will spend 2018-19 as a Fulbright scholar conducting research in Ghana on how private agricultural extension (educating farmers in scientific farming methods) fosters the public good, especially for women. The idea stemmed directly from her time as a Global Social Benefit Fellow through SCU's Miller Center, when she worked on the team conducting social-impact action research for a company that provided services to farmers in Ghana. She has an abiding interest in gender disparities in agriculture, which she notes have remained wide despite the overall improvement of livelihoods in West Africa over the past 50 years.
An in-demand teaching and research assistant, Rudolph has distinguished herself at SCU with a rich array of academic achievements including helping lead the Food and Agribusiness Institute’s food waste initiative. She’s a valued member of the cross country team and a civic engagement leader through the Santa Clara Community Action Program, where she has worked on issues ranging from immigration to gun control. She is also a member of the SCU Honors Program and Pi Sigma Alpha.
“Getting a Fulbright is not something I would ever, ever have been able to do by myself. There are so many people at SCU who got me on this road,” said Rudolph. “As a Fulbright fellow, I will have a really good opportunity to continue looking at systemic issues, to deep dive into something that matters to me.”