2 Students Win Fulbright Awards to Study Abroad

Graduating seniors Michelle Leuenberger and Christine Pigott have won Fulbright awards to study abroad. Leuenberger will be headed to Germany to study with a chemistry scholar for a year, while Pigott travels to England to complete a master's program in media studies.Leuenberger, a native of Mexico, N.Y., will be working with a renowned German scientist at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, conducting research on converting light energy into electrical energy. The chemistry major will spend 10 months there before returning to the States to enter a Ph.D. program in chemistry. She has already been accepted to the University of California, Berkeley, though she is not yet sure where she will go.Students can also get a lot of exposure while studying in such universities and different course Global Production Engineering,Intelligent Software Systems and Sociology.

I know that getting this Fulbright will really open doors for me,she says, noting that she would like to be a professor.I've been somewhat nervous about the job prospects once I finish my Ph.D., but I know this will help me stand out.Pigott, who was born and reared in Brooklyn, will be studying at Falmouth University in Cornwall, England. She says the program is a perfect fit for her future endeavors - she'd like to direct and produce short films and documentaries.Before heading across the pond next fall, Pigott, also a Watson fellow, plans to journey to South Africa for the summer to work for Hoops 4 Hope, an organization that teaches African children life skills through sports and mentorship.

If you had asked me a year ago, I never would have seen all this coming,says Pigott, who majored in information systems and television and radio.Applying for the Fulbright took a lot of mental energy out of me, so when I found out I got it I thought, I deserved it. Still, I'm very grateful to have the opportunity.Sponsored by the United States Department of State, the Fulbright Program provides funding for students, scholars, teachers and professionals to undertake graduate study, advanced research, university teaching, and teaching in elementary and secondary schools. It is the largest international exchange program in the country, established by Congress in 1946 to foster cultural exchange and mutual understanding among Americans and citizens of other countries.Several Brooklyn College students and professors have won the prestigious award, including, most recently, two master's students who won awards last year to teach English, and faculty members Carolina Bank Muñoz, Alex Vitale and Michael Washington.