Pacific University Student, Alumnus Receive Fulbright Scholarships

Pacific University student Carlos Esparza and 2014 alumnus Jordan Kronen have each received a Fulbright U.S. Student Program grant for an English Teaching Assistantship in foreign countries.

Esparza and Kronen are among more than 1,900 U.S. citizens who will travel abroad for the 2015-2016 academic year through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. Grant recipients are selected on the basis of academic and professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential. They are Pacific University's 29th and 30th student recipients of a Fulbright award.

Esparza, originally from Juchipila, Zacatecas, Mexico, is majoring in Spanish with a minor in French and will graduate on May 16. He will return to his native country for the upcoming academic year for his Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship.

Kronen, a resident of Olympia, Wash., graduated summa cum laude from Pacific in 2014 with a degree in politics and government. He will travel to Malaysia for his Fulbright experience.

While in Mexico and Malaysia, Esparza and Kronen will meet, work, live with and learn from the people of the host countries. Through this community engagement, they will will interact with their hosts on a one-to-one basis in an atmosphere of openness, academic integrity and intellectual freedom.

The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between people of the United States and those of other nations.

Fulbright recipients are among more than 50,000 individuals participating in U.S. Department of State exchange programs each year. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is administered by the Institute of International Education. Since 1948, more than 100,000 Fulbright U.S. Student Program alumni have undertaken grants.