Four Elon alumnae selected for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program

Three members of the Class of 2025 and one member of the Class of 2020 have been selected as finalists for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. Founded in 1946, the Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program designed to cross-cultural exchange and mutual understanding for the promotion of a more peaceful world. Finalists are not just funded to teach or research—they are expected to serve as valuable cultural ambassadors in their respective host countries, both representing the United States and learning about their new communities.

Elon has been repeatedly recognized for the number of its alumni who participate in the Fulbright Program as teachers and researchers and has been named a top-producer of Fulbright students in six separate years. This year, 50% of Elon’s 28 applicants were named semi-finalists in January.

The Fulbright Program has experienced unprecedented disruptions since January 2025. The review process, which is governed by extensive and detailed treaties between the US and host countries, requires an initial US review phase (during which semi-finalists are determined) followed by host-country review phase (during which the finalists are determined). This process ensured that host communities have the final say in which applicants are selected. This year, the host-country review phase was, according to multiple reports from host countries, followed by an additional round of scrutiny by the US State Department, and some host countries reported that upwards of 40% of their selected applicants were rejected. It is unclear if fewer grants were awarded overall as a result of this scrutiny.

A significant portion of the Fulbright U.S. Student Program staff were furloughed in March, which led to severe delays in fund dispersal and finalist announcements. This month, the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, the presidentially-appointed board of directors that oversees the Fulbright Program, but is not responsible for its day-to-day operations, overwhelmingly voted to resign in response to the Trump Administration’s interference in the 2025 review process. The future of congressional funding for Fulbright remains in question.

Those who received awards this year are:

Margo Buchanan ‘25

A double major in theatrical design & technology and political science with a minor in German studies, Margo Buchanan has been selected for a Fulbright grant to teach English in Germany. She is from Raleigh, North Carolina.

A Phi Beta Kappa graduate, Buchanan took every opportunity she could while at Elon to learn about Germany. She conducted two-years of independent research about opera scenic design in Germany as an Elon College Fellow, served as president of the German Club, and spent a semester studying abroad in Heidelberg, Germany. It was her semester abroad that inspired her to return to the region after graduation.

In addition to the Fulbright US Student Program in Germany, Buchanan was selected for the Teaching Assistantship Program of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education (BMB), administered by Fulbright Austria. She will spend this summer working as a stage crew lead for the Santa Fe Opera before heading to Austria to teach English, where she is eager to build on the teaching and mentoring experience she began in high school.

Buchanan’s Elon mentors include her German professors, Kristin Lange and Scott Windham, and Luis Silva, technical director for the Department of Performing Arts.

Rachel Maccini ‘25

Rachel Maccini, a double major in special education and middle grades mathematics with minors in psychology and German studies, has been selected for a Fulbright grant to teach English in Germany. The Phi Beta Kappa and Omicron Delta Kappa graduate is from Westford, Massachusetts.

At Elon, Maccini was a dedicated student educator who also served as the captain for the Elon Cheer Team. She blended her interests in teaching with German studies, serving as a teaching and learning assistant for a German language course and earning entry into Delta Phi Alpha, the National German Honor Society. Maccini’s desire to live in Germany after graduation was solidified during her Winter Term course in Germany, and the Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in Germany is what she describes as “the perfect fit.” After Fulbright, she plans to return to the US to work in education and hopes to utilize her experiences in German classrooms to support multilingual and neurodiverse students.

Maccini’s most influential Elon mentor is Kristin Lange, who initially encouraged her to apply for Fulbright.

“Dr. Kristin Lange has made a huge impact on me,” said Maccini. “Her love for the German language and her passion for teaching are truly contagious. Anyone who takes a class with her can feel it.”

Cristy Mariné ‘25

A double major in cinema & television arts (BFA) and strategic communications, Cristy Mariné has been selected for a Fulbright grant to pursue a master’s degree in creative industries at the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom. She is from Caracas, Venezuela and Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Mariné was a highly engaged Elon student who completed five internships—including one in Los Angeles with E! News, and another with a photography studio in Sorrento, Italy—and directed three short films. One in particular, “Corazones Dulces,” centered on a Latina who grieves the loss of her grandmother through baking, and was the only film in Spanish at 2024 Cinelon Film Festival. The master’s in creative industries at Exeter, which will allow her to blend creative and business courses while interning with a British creative agency, is the natural next step in Mariné’s goal of making short films that tell authentic stories about underrepresented groups.

Mariné’s constellation of mentors is wide, including Staci Saltz, Youseff Osman, Kai Swanson, Jessalyn Strauss, Sylvia Muñoz and MJ Larrazabal.

“All of my mentors at Elon have challenged me in ways that have helped me grow into the person I am today, she said. “For that, I am forever grateful.”

Celia Roskin ’20

Celia Roskin, an elementary education major (policy studies minor) from the class of 2020, has been selected for a Fulbright grant to teach English in Taiwan. She is from Durham, North Carolina.

At Elon, Roskin cultivated her passions for teaching, language learning and cross-cultural exchange. She spent a Winter Term in Malawi teaching English to primary school students and a summer in Cordoba, Argentina, taking Spanish language classes at the local university. She also completed the Peace Corps Prep Program and volunteered with the Village Project and the Boys and Girls Club. These experiences prepared her for her current role as an Educational Resources Specialist at the Library of Congress, where she creates, coordinates and facilitates professional development for educators by utilizing primary sources from the Library’s collections.

“I continue to feel a calling to classroom teaching,” she explained. “I’m ready to get out of my comfort zone and explore a new culture and different approaches to early education.”

A year as an English teaching assistant in Taiwan will allow Roskin to expand her teaching philosophy and pedagogy while exploring the Taiwanese approach to literacy education. She plans to return to the Library of Congress with new skills and resources to provide for US educators.

Roskin’s Elon mentors include education professors Erin Hone and Marna Winter.

Elon students and alumni interested in the Fulbright program or other nationally competitive fellowships are invited to contact the National and International Fellowships Office.