Prestigious Awards Fund Alumni to Study Abroad — Again

A number of recent University of Minnesota study abroad alumni have received prestigious awards that will take them abroad again.

Lafayette Fellowship

Out of 3,400 applicants, Juni Holtgrewe was one of 30 awarded an inaugural Lafayette Fellowship. The fellowship program offers American students the opportunity to pursue one year of fully funded master’s studies at one of 15 French universities or grandes écoles (top-level educational institutions). 

Holtgrewe graduated summa cum laude, majoring in French and linguistics and minoring in Italian. She points to her study abroad experience, via the Learning Abroad Center's Language & Culture in France program, as a pivotal one. “It allowed me to integrate into French society in multiple ways: through a host family, through classes at Université Paul Valéry, and through new friendships made in school and at the study abroad center. This time abroad improved my language skills, inspired my Honors thesis, and motivated my internship—and subsequent full-time position.” She will work toward her master’s in political science and ecology in France at the University of Strasbourg, with plans to work in international environmental cooperation in the future.

Fulbright U.S. Student Program

In addition, four of the eight students who received 2026 Fulbright U.S. Student awards are study abroad alumni—Avery Hink, Isabella Minahan, Nivedha Ramaswamy, and Bernadette Rechek. The Fulbright Program, the US government's program of international educational and cultural exchange, awards approximately 8,000 merit-based grants every year to students, scholars, teachers, artists, and professionals in all fields.

Avery Hink

While studying abroad on the Language & Culture in Southern France program, Hink interned as a teaching assistant in a French school and conducted an international research project on how the language of the French Constitution impacted the development of democratic institutions in the former French colonies. She is a French and political science major who will spend a year teaching English in Belgium. Afterward, she plans to complete a law degree and eventually return to Brussels, working in international affairs and policy.

“Living in France showed me how much I wanted to continue building relationships in international communities. I’m incredibly grateful to the University of Minnesota and to one of my TAs, who had previously been an English teaching assistant in Brazil, for introducing me to Fulbright and encouraging me to apply.”

Isabella Minahan

Honors graduate Minahan majored in Spanish and global studies and received a Fulbright to support a year of teaching in Argentina. She believes her study abroad experience on the Study & Intern in Toledo program helped give her the confidence to apply for a Fulbright.

“The fact that I was able to persevere through difficult moments and come out with more knowledge, skills, and fulfillment on the other side made me realize I could handle more than I thought I could. My time in Spain also reinforced to me how fun and exciting it is to be welcomed into a new cultural context that is different from your own.”

Nivedha Ramaswamy

Honors graduate Ramaswamy has been offered a Fulbright award to conduct research in South Korea, and her eventual plans include completing an MD/PhD program and working in the medical research field. Ramaswamy, who graduated with a BS in genetics and cell biology and a BA in Asian and Middle Eastern studies with a concentration in Korean language, will employ 3D brain imaging technologies to study the impact of chronic stress on Alzheimer’s disease. During her time as an undergraduate, she spent six weeks studying abroad on the University Study in South Korea program at Korea University and looks forward to returning to the country. 

“When I saw the opportunity to return to Korea through Fulbright, I felt it would be an amazing way to build on my experience from the first time around and integrate both of my academic interests in Korean studies and the biological sciences. I believe the confidence and depth of cultural immersion I gained through studying abroad strengthened my application.”

Bernadette Rechek

Rechek, an English and developmental psychology major and Honors student, will teach English in the Slovak Republic, with her sights set on becoming a teacher and educational policy advocate. After her experience studying abroad during May session in Argentina, Rechek looks forward to pursuing a longer period of cultural exchange. She plans to use her enthusiasm for literature and dance to build relationships and learn more about cultural traditions and local history in the Slovak Republic.

“I am especially looking forward to teaching in Nitra, becoming part of the school community, and learning from my students and colleagues while sharing my own culture in return.”