CMU Graduates Receive 2026-27 Fulbright Awards
Heidi Opdyke
- Associate Dean of Marketing and Communications, MCS
- Email opdyke@andrew.cmu.edu
- Phone 412-268-9982
Several recent Carnegie Mellon University alumni have been named 2026-27 Fulbright Award recipients. The awards, offered by the U.S. Fulbright Student Program and funded by the U.S. Department of State, facilitate international research and teaching opportunities in over 150 countries and are offered to a limited number of grantees following a rigorous selection process.
“These Fulbright Student grantees exemplify the power of fully embracing the CMU experience. From distinctive undergraduate research and studies abroad to language study and leadership opportunities, these highly accomplished Tartans will take their experiences, knowledge, and skills out into the world and make real contributions to their host countries,” said Richelle Bernazzoli, director of the Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholar Development.
The office assists students with the application process for the Fulbright grants. CMU has been named a top Fulbright producing institution for the third time in four years, and has seen a total of 148 recipients since the program’s inception.
Aileigh Corbett
Aileigh Corbett is a recent graduate from the Department of Biological Sciences. Originally from Newark, Delaware, Corbett came to CMU to study biological sciences, and quickly found herself engaged beyond the classroom.
“I was heavily involved in CMU EMS, our on-campus, student-run emergency medical response team, serving as training officer during my sophomore and junior years and then as captain and supervisor during my senior year.” In this role, she said, she helped keep the EMS system in service 24 hours a day, seven days a week during the fall semester. “I began to strengthen my leadership, communication and teaching skills.”
While at Carnegie Mellon, she traveled to 19 countries.
“I have worked on a vegetable farm in France, spent a summer conducting research in a developmental biology and zoology lab at Trinity College Dublin, spent three weeks walking across Spain on the 780-kilometer Camino de Santiago, and lived in Tanzania for two months teaching English at an elementary school,” she said.
It was this last experience, taking place in a suburb outside of Arusha, that had the greatest impact on her decision to apply for a Fulbright grant. “I felt that I had grown in ways that could only have been brought out by that specific experience,” Corbett said.
Corbett will continue her work as an English teaching assistant in Thailand, and says she looks forward to engaging with students in the coming months. “I want to get to know them, learn what they want to gain from their education, and figure out how English can be a powerful communication tool in their life path,” she said, “whether that is as a traveler, businessperson, international communicator or simply as a way to participate in global conversations.”
Kimberly Hoang
Kimberly Hoang is a recent graduate of the interdisciplinary Neuroscience program at CMU. With previous experience in community-based education, she came to CMU with an interest in teaching.
At the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Hoang began working in educational settings. “I started volunteering online tutoring preschoolers,” she said. “It was extremely rewarding to see the light-bulb moment in my students' eyes when things we were working on finally clicked."
In college she continued to tutor, working with high schoolers on SAT and ACT testing and volunteering at Allegheny County Jail to help students earn their GEDs. She also completed her coursework with a pre-medicine focus, aided by guidance from the CMU Health Professions Program.
As a first-generation Vietnamese American, Hoang said the opportunity to teach English in Vietnam through the Fulbright Program serves as a way to continue following her passion for teaching while reconnecting with her roots. "I grew up in a largely Vietnamese immigrant town. In the future I aspire to return home and serve my community as a physician," she said. "To adequately serve my future patients, I need more than just medical training. I need a well-rounded understanding of the community I am serving. Living and working in Vietnam will give me a first-hand look at the culture and lived experiences that have shaped my patients’ lives
For her success in pursuing her goals, she credits Associate Teaching Professor and HPP Director Jason D’Antonio, as well as OURSD’s Bernazzoli.
Keenan Norton
Keenan Norton graduated in May with a degree inchemical engineering and additional majors in environmental and sustainability studies and Hispanic studies. During his time at CMU, he held roles as a supplemental instruction leader, a peer tutor, and an ambassador for the Department of Chemical Engineering.
A consistent focus of his work and research has been water quality and access across the Americas. While earning his degree, Norton co-led a student organization focused on civic engagement trips in the Dominican Republic and spent time studying abroad in Costa Rica.
His Fulbright grant will allow him to continue his research and engagement in Latin America, this time taking him to Ecuador.
“I was drawn to apply for a Fulbright to Ecuador to continue to build skills in research related to water quality, now looking at the particular challenges experienced by communities affected by industrial mining,” he said.
The experience, he hopes, will allow him to explore new, innovative approaches to improving water quality.
“My research Fulbright will serve to investigate cutting-edge drinking water treatment technologies that can hopefully improve resilience for communities whose water may be more difficult to treat,” Norton said. “I am so excited to be a Fulbrighter, as it really brings together all of the things I have been working on over the past few years.”
Jeanie Xu
Jeanie Xu graduated from Carnegie Mellon in 2023 with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. Her award will allow her to travel to Taiwan as an English teaching assistant.
"I believe in not confining myself to one path and allowing myself to have as many diverse experiences as possible in life, which led me to apply for a Fulbright award," she said.
She said the Fulbright will allow her to explore opportunities beyond her field of study and be able to give back through education.
"I’ve always enjoyed the challenges and rewards that come from imparting knowledge to and mentoring young students through my time as a tutor, orientation counselor, and resident assistant in college.”
For her, the grant serves as a chance to explore both education and personal identity.
“I applied for a Fulbright award to have an amazing opportunity to create a meaningful impact on young students in under-resourced communities and to expand my worldview through immersing myself in a new culture."
The Taiwan experience, she said, will allow her to do both in a unique and engaging way.
"During my time in Taiwan, I hope to become an educator that adapts to my students and creates a welcoming environment for learning,” Xu said. “I want to fully integrate myself into the community there while also sharing my own authentic experiences and identity with them as an Asian American living in the U.S."
