Twelve students from the University of North Georgia (UNG) were designated Fulbright semifinalist status for 2025-26. They include students from the College of Arts & Letters, Mike Cottrell College of Business and the College of Education.

"We have had a 50-percent semifinalist rate this year, which is incredibly high and very heartening," Dr. Anastasia Lin, assistant vice president for Academic Affairs and director of the Nationally Competitive Scholarships (NCS) Office, said.

The English teaching assistant semifinalists include Tracy Amaya, Aysia Bittinger, Sara Gonzalez, Elena Roberts, Fatima Santillan, Charlotte Sims, Abigail Sutherland, Jenna Thomas, Justin Wlosko, and Jessie Zinn.  More details are available in a full listing.

Bittinger, a senior from Augusta, Georgia, is seeking to teach English in Kinmen, Taiwan. She is pursuing degrees in physics and mathematics with a minor in Chinese.

"This experience would allow me to develop my teaching and cross-cultural communication skills. I think it would be invaluable as I prepare for a doctoral degree in physics, and in pursuing my long-term goal of becoming a professor and researcher in physics," she said.

Wlosko is a junior from Cumming, Georgia, pursuing a degree in international affairs with a Korean minor. He is seeking to travel to South Korea to teach English and has several goals he'd like to achieve during his stay if he is selected.

"As someone who animated throughout middle and high school, I want to showcase both American and global animation to my students through my language work. Introducing the nuances of the English language through the medium is something that will both benefit the students and excite me as a teacher," he said. "Beyond work, I plan on participating in the local community. I want to join a music club to continue working on both my singing and saxophone abilities. I feel as though participating in your own hobbies overseas strengthens the passion and authenticity of the experience."

He said he is looking forward to the possibility of immersing himself in Korean culture.

"Getting to ingratiate myself in Korean culture as both a tourist and working professional allows me to see the country through a wider perspective. As someone who has studied the Korean language for over four years, I would get to learn the language much more efficiently in the country that speaks it primarily," he said.  "My mom teaches languages, and she's always taught me that it's nearly impossible to consider yourself fluent until you're speaking the language with native speakers in their own country. That's my main goal. I'm hoping to use that language skill in future career prospects."

Grey Nebel and Ethan Post are research semi-finalists.

Post is seeking to go to the United Kingdom, where his goal is to attend Newcastle University and "conduct archaeological survey in search of civic and trade functions at Bamburgh Castle, the royal seat of power in the Medieval English Kingdom of Northumbria."

"This experience would allow me to begin the first steps of my research and create a road map for a doctorate degree if I go down that road," he said. "Even if I decide not to pursue a doctorate degree, the master's degree will allow me to enter the workforce and advance up the ladder without an education level roadblock."

Post, from Davidson, North Carolina, graduated in December 2024 with a Bachelor of Arts in history with a minor in anthropology.

Final selection notification is expected in mid-April.

"None of this would be possible without the efforts of our students' mentors, the culture of leadership and risk-taking fostered by UNG, or our indefatigable Nationally Competitive Scholarships (NCS) team including Anastasia Lin; Brittney Barron our new scholarships coordinator in Gainesville; David Patterson, the assistant director of NCS; and our NCS faculty fellows, Bibek Chand, Greg Feiden, and Kelly McFaden," Dr. Victoria Hightower, associate director of NCS, said.

The Fulbright program enables graduates to pursue research activities, become English teaching assistants, or enroll in graduate school in other countries. It is designed to increase mutual understanding between U.S. citizens and residents of more than 160 foreign countries, according to the Fulbright website.

Students interested in learning more about nationally competitive scholarships should contact ncs@ung.edu for more information.