Frederick Honors and German department encourage Fulbright winners’ work in Germany

Pitt has been named a top Fulbright-producing school nine times since 2013, and although recipients can work in over 160 countries, Germany is one of the most popular choices. 

Each year, the Frederick Honors College produces a group of Fulbright Award recipients who conduct service or research projects abroad after graduation. Of the 14 winners this academic year, three will conduct their work in Germany, and of the 10 winners in the 2023-24 school year, four chose to work in Germany. 

Kush Batra, a 2023 graduate and 2023-24 Fulbright recipient who chose to work in Germany, says Pitt’s affinity for the Central European country comes down to the opportunities there.

“I think [Germany] has been a hotspot for Fulbright winners because of how supportive they are, and because Fulbright offers significantly more funding for positions in Germany compared to smaller countries where there might be only one or two positions available,” Batra said.

Germany is a popular Fulbright country for many prospective scholars because of the high level of funding. From 2021-2024, Germany received the second-most applications on average and awarded the most grants on average among all Fulbright countries.

Batra, who conducted research on rare neurological diseases while in Germany, said the German department helped him prepare for his journey abroad.

“Even though I’m not a German major and didn’t take any German language courses, the department was still supportive in helping me get a language evaluation done on short notice so I could meet the internal deadline,” Batra said, “Overall, I believe that if you put yourself out there, the faculty at Pitt in any department will be more than happy to help you succeed.”

The State Department awards Fulbright scholarships to graduating college seniors and graduate students. Students who receive a Fulbright award can pursue three tracks while abroad — they can stay at a university to pursue graduate studies, they can conduct research, or they can serve as an English teacher or teaching assistant.

Batra said he received valuable assistance from many Frederick Honors College administrators but specifically praised Lesha Greene, Frederick Honors College’s director of national scholarships.

“During the application process, I cannot emphasize enough how helpful Lesha Greene was with her essay revisions — I couldn’t have done it without her,” Batra said. “She just won the 2024 Fulbright International Education Administrators Award for her outstanding track record.”

Greene said the German department specifically highlights opportunities such as the Fulbright award, the German Academic Exchange Service, and the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange.

“The German department does a great job of showcasing and highlighting the funded opportunities that are available to their student population,” Greene said. “My office relies on support from faculty in promoting these awards and through individual referrals and creating events like Oktoberfest where we can increase our visibility, they are doing an excellent job.”

According to Greene, students can pursue all three tracks in Germany, but a few fields are popular among winners.

“The most popular is the English teaching assistant track,” Greene said. “You don’t need to be an English major or want to go into teaching in the future. We have also had applicants be successful with neuroscience and ecology research, as well as graduate study in electrical engineering, to name a few.”

Alex-Jaden Peart, who is applying for a research Fulbright to become a visiting scholar at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin’s Institute for Philosophy, said she believes the German department set her up to succeed.

“I think Pitt German department’s success with Fulbright is because of the people, not merely for the fact that the faculty is majority German themselves, but because of the topics that are covered in the courses,” Peart said. “The Department is very cohesive, lively and tight-knit.

Students and faculty support one another, and, in such an environment, success is sure to

follow.”

Peart said that, beyond Greene’s “invaluable” assistance, she also received help on her application from FHC’s Peter Levins and Josh Cannon.

According to Greene, receiving any Fulbright award is an honor, and the German department puts its full support behind students pursuing Fulbrights.

“Fulbright is an expansive global community, and for anyone interested in working internationally, there is a lot of recognition that comes with that alone,” Greene said. “It also gives you the opportunity to connect with other Americans who share a similar interest. The German department does an excellent job of supporting students through these awards and making sure their students are competitive.”