Two Loyola graduates awarded Fulbright Scholarships
Two Loyola graduates, Grace Garret, ’21, and Darian López Robles, ’19, have won prestigious Fulbright Scholarships to study abroad. Garret will travel to South Korea in January of 2023 as an English Teaching Assistant, while López Robles will use her Fulbright Scholarship to serve as an English Teaching Assistant in Argentina.
“The Fulbright Scholarship celebrated its 75th year last fall—and this international scholarship stands for values that are lasting and as needed today as they were in 1946, just a year after the World War II,” said Maiju Lehmijoki Wetzel, Ph.D., director of pre-health programs, who has supported Loyola’s Fulbright applicants. “These values center around peaceful exchange of ideas and scholarship, celebration of human and cultural diversity, and coming together of creative minds. In my mind, the values of Fulbright are at the core of Loyola’s values and the type of education we seek to create for our students. I am excited for this year’s Fulbright recipients, Grace and Darian, and I know that with them a piece of Loyola legacy is sent to South Korea and Argentina.”
Garret, who is originally from Manchester, Md., earned her bachelor’s degree in economics with a minor in business administration.
“I am excited to discover a new lifestyle and integrate myself as much as I can into society,” said Garret, who is working toward her master’s degree in East Asian Relations at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. “I am looking forward to making new friends and exploring new foods and activities. I hope to travel to different historic villages while I am living in South Korea and view their history. It is my goal to say yes to as many opportunities as I can while living there."
López Robles earned her bachelor’s degree in international business with a minor in political science.
“I am most looking forward to immersing into a new country and culture,” said López Robles, who was involved in the International Business Club, ALANA, and a member of the Ignatius Scholars Program at Loyola. “My goal is to enjoy the program to the fullest and everything that it will bring.”
The facilitates cultural exchange provided in more than 140 countries around the world through opportunities to engage in research in a foreign country or teach English for students of various age groups. Through engagement in the community, grantees interact with their hosts on a one-to-one basis in an atmosphere of openness, academic integrity, and intellectual freedom, thereby promoting mutual understanding. The program is sponsored by the U.S. Senate and various organizations in the host countries.