Six Santa Clara students and alumni earn Fulbright grants to research, study, and teach across three continents

A collage of 6 headshots featuring the 2026 Santa Clara Fulbright recipients

Six Santa Clara students and alumni earn Fulbright grants to research, study, and teach across three continents

Megan Baldemor ’26, Cassandra Bull ’26, Katie Duffy ’24, Alec Qualitza ’23, Jasmine Vu ’26, and Saron Weldemariam ’26 have each been awarded Fulbright U.S. Student Program grants for the 2026–2027 academic year. Selected through a merit-based, open competition that evaluates academic achievement, leadership, and commitment to service, the six Broncos will spend the coming year conducting research, studying, and teaching in Germany, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, and Zambia

The six recipients were among 13 Santa Clara students and alumni who advanced to the semifinalist round. Isabela Erfort ’26 was named an alternate.

Established in 1946, the Fulbright U.S. Student Program has supported nearly 450,000 students, scholars, artists, and professionals in more than 160 countries. It remains the flagship international exchange program of the U.S. government, administered by the Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and carried out in partnership with binational commissions, U.S. embassies, and cooperating agencies worldwide. Grantees pursue graduate study, conduct independent research, or teach English.

“At Santa Clara, we talk a great deal about educating the whole person: mind, body, and spirit,” said James Glaser, executive vice president and provost. “This remarkable group of Fulbright recipients is living proof that this formation takes hold. Each of them has turned their education outward, toward communities that need their talents as scholars and teachers. I look forward to seeing the impact they make.”

Megan Baldemor ’26 International Study Award

Megan Baldemor grew up dancing. As a child in Honolulu, Hawaii, she choreographed routines in her bedroom and fashioned pointe shoes out of cardboard and cotton balls. Science came later—specifically, in a class called Physics of Dance during her first quarter at Santa Clara, where professors broke down the biomechanics of a pirouette, and something clicked.

Now a biology major with minors in chemistry and medical and health humanities, Baldemor has spent the years since bridging both worlds. Her Fulbright Study Award will take her abroad to conduct dementia and stem cell research, building toward her goal of an M.D./Ph.D. in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine. She plans to become a physician-scientist, focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms of neurodegenerative disease.

On campus, she conducts research in the Cocas Laboratory, volunteers at the Hearts & Minds Activity Center through the Ignatian Fellowship, and continues to dance, including in seasonal productions with the Department of Theatre and Dance. She and classmate Jasmine Vu co-founded Santa Clara Kids ARTopia, a free arts education program for local elementary school students that launched with a $15,000 Strauss Foundation grant and now operates in partnership with the Ignatian Center’s Arrupe Engagement program. Baldemor is also co-president of Alpha Sigma Nu, the national Jesuit honor society, a member of Tri-Beta and Sigma Xi Honors Societies, and a 2025 recipient of both the Goldwater Scholarship and Strauss Scholarship.

“I am incredibly grateful to the Office of Student Fellowships, my mentors—Laura Cocas, Ian Carter-O'Connell, David Popalisky, and Leilani Miller—and my family and friends for supporting me throughout this process,” said Baldemor. “I am unbelievably excited to begin this research next year, working with a groundbreaking stem cell model for dementia.”

Cassandra Bull ’26 Teaching Award — Taiwan

Cassi Bull '26, a double major in child studies and psychology

Cassandra (Cassi) Bull has spent her time at Santa Clara paying close attention to how children learn. A double major in child studies and psychology from Kirkland, Washington, Bull is a Clare Boothe Luce Research Scholar whose work explores how parental feedback shapes children’s vocabulary development during shared reading, a project she recently presented at the 2026 Cognitive Development Society conference. She is a member of the University Honors Program, was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, Psi Chi, and Kappa Delta Pi honor societies, and studied abroad in Dunedin, New Zealand. Her Fulbright Teaching Award will take her to Kinmen, an island off the coast of China, after which she will pursue a master’s degree in speech-language pathology at Northeastern University.

On campus, Bull worked as both an assistant and lead teacher at early education centers, volunteered in special education classrooms, and published research on engagement strategies for students with disabilities. Through the Santa Clara Community Action Program, she spent two years leading the Special Olympics program before taking on her current role as department coordinator for the Health & Disabilities department, overseeing five volunteer programs focused on health advocacy and disability justice. She also serves as president of Supertonic!, a campus a cappella group.

“Throughout my time at Santa Clara, I’ve been drawn to spaces where language, learning, and personalized support intersect to make meaningful differences in the lives of children and families,” said Bull. “I am beyond grateful for the professors, mentors, friends, and community members who have helped shape this passion, and I’m excited for the opportunity to both contribute to and learn from this experience while engaging with language in a new cultural context.”

Katie Duffy ’24 Research Award — Zambia

Katie Duffy '24, a political science major

Katie Duffy graduated in 2024 with a degree in political science, an emphasis in international relations, and minors in public health science and sustainable food systems. She will return to Zambia on a Fulbright Research Award, a country she first visited in the summer of 2023 as a Miller Center Fellow, where she conducted food security fieldwork that became the foundation for her Fulbright proposal.

At Santa Clara, Duffy was a fellow in the Ignatian Center’s Agroecology, Climate Resilience & Food Justice Lab, where she contributed to the student food security and basic needs projects and to the AJCU Laudato Si Project, an initiative to advance bold environmental sustainability commitments across 28 Jesuit colleges and universities. She also served as a senior class senator in the Associated Student Government and was a member of the University Honors Program.

“My interest in food justice and sustainability is deeply rooted in my experience working with the Agroecology, Climate Resilience, and Food Justice Lab, as well as my time as a Miller Center Lewis Family Fellow in Zambia,” said Duffy. “I am thrilled to return to Zambia to continue this important work.”

Alec Qualitza ’23 Study Award — Spain

Alec Qualitza '23, a psychology, public health double major

Alec Qualitza arrived at Santa Clara as a first-generation college student, finding his footing through the LEAD Scholars Program, and spent his undergraduate years weaving together psychology, public health, and a commitment to community. A double major in psychology and public health science with a minor in political science, he was a research assistant to associate professor of communication Chan Thai, studying how Residential Learning Communities shape student mental health and well-being. That collaboration proved lasting: the two went on to co-author a publication in the journal Children, examining how parental support relates to adolescent emotional well-being. As a community facilitator in a campus residence hall, Qualitza saw firsthand how much environment and relationships shape students’ flourishing, and the research gave him a language for what he had been practicing all along.

After graduating in 2023, Qualitza spent two years in Spain through the CIEE Teach in Spain program, supporting students’ linguistic and emotional development and deepening his sense of cultural humility and global awareness. Since returning, he has worked at Bard NYC supporting student life through programming and community building. His Fulbright Research Award will take him back to Madrid to pursue a master’s degree in international development, building on his research background and his years living and working abroad.

“Becoming a Fulbright cultural ambassador fulfills my lifelong commitment to global service,” said Qualitza. “My social science education at Santa Clara showed me the urgent need for equitable development internationally, and I’m grateful to the faculty who supported me. I look forward to expanding on my undergraduate health equity work, deepening cultural ties in Spain, and pursuing a career shaping policy aligned with the UN’s 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.”

Jasmine Vu ’26 Research Award — Switzerland

Jasmine Vu, a chemistry major from Santa Cruz, California, has a knack for finding connections where others see separate things. Growing up, she explored her creativity through crocheting and filmmaking. At Santa Clara, she channeled that same curiosity into research and into co-founding ARTopia alongside Baldemor, where she teaches traditional and digital art to local kids and makes a point of showing them how coding and artistic thinking reinforce each other.

Her Fulbright Research Award will take her to the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland, where she will join Paul Dyson’s inorganic chemistry lab to study heat-activated prodrugs for targeting pediatric eye cancer. The work sits at the intersection of chemistry and medicine, precisely the kind of cross-disciplinary territory Vu has always gravitated toward.

Vu was also selected for the Lafayette Young Leaders Program, France’s newest and most competitive early-career fellowship, considered a peer to the Marshall Scholarship. At Santa Clara, she has conducted research in the Ben Stokes Lab, been recognized as a Clare Boothe Luce Research Scholar and a Strauss Scholar, and served as Associate Director of the Santa Clara Community Action Program and co-president of Hooks for Hope.

“I am so honored to receive this award,” said Vu. “I would like to thank the office of student fellowships, the chemistry department, and my mentors Ben Stokes, Megan Tichy, and Jeffrey Burkholder for their support through the years. I’m so excited to go to Switzerland this fall to study chemotherapeutic drug activation in pediatric eye cancer in the Dyson lab!"

Saron Weldermariam ’26 Study Award — Germany

Saron Weldemariam '26, a double major in political science and sociology

For Saron Weldemariam, the path to refugee and migration policy is deeply personal. Born in Eritrea and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Weldemariam came to Santa Clara as a first-generation college student through the LEAD Scholars Program, where she also served as a peer educator mentoring incoming students. A double major in political science and sociology with a minor in international studies, she has been active in Igwebuike, the African Student Association, and the Eritrean Ethiopian Student Association, and participated in multiple immersion trips through the Ignatian Center, including a formative experience in Costa Rica that deepened her sense of purpose around immigrant and refugee communities.

As a Miller Center Lewis Family Fellow, Weldemariam traveled to Rwanda to conduct fieldwork with Inkomoko, a leading lender to refugee entrepreneurs across Africa, carrying out nearly 50 in-depth client interviews and contributing to a final report on access to capital, gender equity, and inclusive enterprise growth. She also served as a Hackworth Fellow at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, developing a middle-school curriculum on refugee and asylum policy, and studied abroad at Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea. Weldemariam was also selected for a Rotary Global Grant scholarship, which supports graduate students studying abroad in one of the organization’s areas of focus. Her Fulbright Study Award will take her to the Hertie School in Berlin, where she will pursue a master’s degree in international affairs with a concentration in human rights and global governance.

“I am extremely grateful for the entire Fulbright process, which has been both motivating and deeply reaffirming of my interests and readiness for this next step,” said Weldermariam. “I am thrilled for the opportunity to study at the Hertie School and continue exploring refugee and migration policy. I am especially grateful for the support and guidance I received throughout this past year. It meant so much to have so many people believe in me along the way.”

A Strong Year for SCU Scholars

Santa Clara students and alumni have had an exceptionally strong year in nationally competitive fellowships and scholarships. In addition to the Fulbright awards above, the Office of Student Fellowships has reported the following:

The Goldwater Scholarship, which recognizes outstanding undergraduates in STEM, was awarded to Rebecca An ’27 and Sophie Jacqmotte-Parks ’27. The Strauss Scholarship, which supports student leaders committed to public service, was awarded to Anne Schloss ’27 and Gabby Gegel ’27. Leo Illing ’25 won an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF-GRFP), and Samantha Lei ’26, Gabe Rodkey ’23, Kylie Foutch ’24, and Evan Baerg ’25 also received honorable mentions. Julian Clark ’28 was awarded a Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship. Riley Carpenter ’25 advanced to the finalist round of the Hertz Fellowship—one of just 54 finalists selected from more than 1,450 applicants.

Media Contact
Lisa Robinson | SCU Media Communications | lrobinson2@scu.edu | 408-551-3601

May 18, 2026

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Six Santa Clara students and alumni earn Fulbright grants to research, study, and teach across three continents