Fulbright Scholars: Shining Moment for Drexel | The Triangle

Fulbright Scholars: Shining Moment for Drexel

The Triangle’s Editorial Board would like to congratulate the four students who are each recipients of Fulbright scholarships. Each year, the U.S. State Department awards approximately 7,500 new Fulbright scholarships, and there have been approximately 294,000 “Fulbrighters” since the program’s inception in 1946. Having an unprecedented number of our students awarded with this nationally competitive scholarship is a noteworthy accomplishment that should instill pride in the Drexel community.

When students win nationally recognized awards, it brings prestige upon our entire university and reflects positively on our student body as a whole. The trajectory Drexel has taken in recent years has garnered a great deal of positive attention for our campus. From hosting a major democratic presidential debate in 2007 to having four students win the Fulbright in one year, this is the kind of press we love hearing about our school. We’re so glad Drexel has realized not all press is good press. Remember that ABC Family reality show “Back to School” from 2005? (See http://tri.gl/ifcmnB) Let’s just forget embarrassing things like that ever happened.

Congratulations to Caitlin Costello, Janani Singaravelu, Karen Sullam and Daniel Tedesco. These four students exemplify the hard work and dedication reflective of our diverse and driven student body — as fellow students we are proud of and excited for them.

It’s also important to mention that three of the four recipients are students in the College of Arts and Sciences. Under the leadership of Dean Donna Murasko, Ph.D., the college has continued to make significant gains in research and education. Fresh off of the inaugural lecture in the Distinguished Lecture Series given by Salman Rushdie and inching closer and closer to the opening of the Papadakis Integrated Sciences Building it really has been a landmark year for the College of Arts and Sciences.

While majors within the College of Arts and Sciences may seem like they’re naturally well-suited to prepare students for Fulbrights, students across the University should explore post-graduate fellowships and research options. With the continuous onslaught of news describing an abysmal job market, be sure to investigate multiple avenues after you graduate. There is no single major that will prepare you more than another to be successful. Success is a result of character — which often isn’t something taught in the classroom. That’s why the Fulbright is such a prestigious honor to receive. The opportunity to research an idea you hold special and personal in another country is the next stage of character development. Learning doesn’t end with graduation. We encourage students of all disciplines to apply for Fulbrights and other research fellowships in the future.