A Year of Discovery Awaits Tufts’ Fulbright Recipients

Whether it was an impromptu conversation on a plane, a parent’s life-changing experience, or a yearning to delve further into a personal interest, Fulbright recipients from Tufts have been inspired by a curiosity to learn more about themselves and the world around them. Now they are about to embark on their journeys across the globe.

Thirteen Tufts alumni are participating in the Fulbright U.S. Student program for the 2026–2027 cycle. The prestigious program is administered by the U.S. State Department and offers a year-long grant for recent graduates to spend a year abroad conducting research, attending a graduate program, or teaching English.

Before beginning their programs, six recent alumni spoke about what they are hoping for their year abroad, the common themes being personal transformation and helping others.

Additionally, seven other recently graduates received Fulbright scholarships: Devon Bell, A26, will be in Taiwan as an English teaching assistant; Daniel Bethke, A26, will be conducting research in the Czech Republic; Catherine DiLeo, A26, will be studying in Hungary; Erika Effenberger, A24, will be in Spain as an English teaching assistant; Samantha Fellman, A26, will be in France as an English teaching assistant; Evan Guttell, A26, will be in Mexico as an English teaching assistant; and Kalyani Lawrence, A24, will be conducting research in India.

Daniela Steinberg, A24

Anthropology major with minors in art history and studio art 
Fulbright destination: Kenya

Photo: Courtesy of Daniela Steinberg

While flying back home after spending 10 days in Rwanda as part of the Tufts With Rwanda Fellowship during their senior year, Daniela Steinberg got to talking with a fellow passenger from Zimbabwe.

“I was talking with him about my experience in Rwanda and how meaningful it was for me and how much I had learned,” Steinberg said. “He was telling me how all of East Africa is very welcoming and open, despite having experienced political, social, and ethnic conflicts throughout hundreds of years.”

That conversation prompted Steinberg to want to return to East Africa someday, which led them to pursue a Fulbright in Keyna, teaching English to high school students.

“Based on the experiences that I’ve already had in East Africa, the people are so welcoming, kind, and willing to trust you with their stories, and that is not something that I take lightly,” said Steinberg. “I’m really excited to make meaningful connections and delve deeper into the human experience with the people in my host community.”

Baljaa Borgil, A24

Psychology major, entrepreneurship and social change minor 
Fulbright destination: South Korea

Photo: Courtesy of Baljaa Borgil

A year ago, Baljaa Borgil traveled with his parents to Mongolia. It was his Mongolian parents’ first time being back in their home country since Borgil was born, and seeing their shock and wonder upon returning after many years is something that stuck with him and inspired his longing to return to places that were important to them.

Borgil ended up seeking out a Fulbright in South Korea—his mother had once lived there while participating in an exchange program as a translator. “At that time, she discovered her own life trajectory,” said Borgil. “While our trajectories won’t be the exact same, I hope this experience will open my mind and help me continue to grow and develop my understanding of the world.”

Borgil, who has spent the last two years working as a third-grade teacher in Richmond, California through the Teach for America program—often working with multilingual learners—will continue to be in the classroom in South Korea as an English teaching assistant. He is interested in comparing the American and South Korean school systems, from curriculum to daily schedules to relationships with fellow teachers—and even the food served in the cafeteria at lunchtime.

He’s looking forward to building on his own two semesters of studying and living abroad while an undergrad. “Not only am I going to be learning about new cultures, new people, and new ways of life, but I’m also going to be learning about myself in these different contexts and seeing what changes and what remains the same,” said Borgil. “How will I be able to adapt? How will I be able to learn and grow upon what I know?”

Nandini Krishnamoorthy, A26

Community health major 
Fulbright destination: India

Photo: Courtesy of Nandini Krishnamoorthy

As a Laidlaw Scholar at Tufts, Nandini Krishnamoorthy collaborated with Saloni Dev, assistant professor of public health and community medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine, and Indian non-governmental organization Pukar to conduct research on mental health in urban informal settlements in India. Her Fulbright in Mumbai, India, will allow her to build on this work.

“I will be doing qualitative research on mental health during and around the period of pregnancy in Mandala, an urban informal settlement in Mumbai,” said Krishnamoorthy, who will be continuing to work with Pukar as well as the Tata Institute of Social Sciences during her Fulbright year. “Alongside local researchers and members of the community, I will be creating interview guides, conducting semi-structured interviews, and then, once I have enough data, using reflexive thematic analysis to analyze everything.”

Though Krishnamoorthy grew up and is currently living in Mumbai, she’ll be working in a very different setting. “I grew up in a part of Mumbai that is very different from where Pukar does their work,” said Krishnamoorthy.

“I’ve been a cultural ambassador of India to the U.S., and now for the U.S. to India,” she added. “This will be a fascinating opportunity to connect my upbringing and everything that I’ve learned in the last four years at Tufts.”

Sam Nashel, A26

Economics major and political science minor 
Fulbright destination: Taiwan

Photo: Courtesy of Sam Nashel

For Sam Nashel, the desire to pursue a Fulbright was twofold: his love for his Chinese classes at Tufts and because of his father, who taught on a Fulbright at a university in Vietnam.

“It seemed like an incredible opportunity to not only experience a new place, but also get to contribute to the local community,” said Nashel of his father’s experience. “It got me excited about the prospect of going to Taiwan.”

Nashel will be teaching English in Taichung, a city on Taiwan’s west coast, and is excited to draw from his Chinese classes. “I wanted to take those classes because they were fun. They were challenging, but really engaging,” said Nashel. “I hope I can provide something like that to my students in Taiwan—where they’re really excited about learning this foreign language for the sake of learning.”

Nashel is fully aware of the significance of this opportunity. “I don’t know if there’ll be another point in my life where I can take a year, go live in a place I’ve never lived, and learn about and immerse myself in the culture,” said Nashel. “The skills I learn in Taiwan will apply to anything that I end up doing in the future.”

Kate Goldberg, A26

International relations major with a concentration in global health nutrition and the environment with minors in Spanish and biological anthropology 
Fulbright destination: Ecuador

Photo: Courtesy of Kate Goldberg

“When I traveled to Ecuador in the winter of 2025 to work on an organic cacao farm for a few weeks, I was captivated by the beauty of the land and the kindness of the people,” said Kate Goldberg. Now Goldberg will get the chance to live and work in Ecuador for a full year through Fulbright.

Goldberg will be in Ibarra, the capital city of the Imbabura province, located in northern Ecuador among the Andes mountains. She will be teaching English to future English teachers at Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador.

“I have found great joy in teaching as a creative, fun process from being a math tutor in eighth grade, an English teaching assistant while studying abroad in Uruguay, and a teaching assistant with the Tufts Prison Initiative,” she said. “Teaching English as a second language particularly excites me because it can open doors and create opportunities.”

While she’s in Ecuador, she hopes to continue her personal studies. “I plan to learn more about Ecuador’s unique environmental policies that incorporate cosmovisión, an Indigenous perspective of interconnectedness between humans and nature,” she said. “And, as a violinist, I am excited to connect with my host community and immerse myself in Ecuadorian culture through music.”

Liv Jordan, A26

International literary and visual studies major with Spanish and German minors 
Fulbright destination: Switzerland

Photo: Courtesy of Liv Jordan

Liv Jordan always knew that she wanted to spend time in a German-speaking country after graduation to increase her fluency in the language. She pursued a Fulbright in Switzerland because of the country’s linguistic diversity—there are four official national languages: French, German, Italian, and Romansh—and to learn more about how the Swiss people navigate language barriers.

“The Swiss speak a form of German known as Swiss German, which is different from the Standard German spoken in Germany. Because the dialect is so distinct, the Swiss have to switch between Standard German when speaking in formal settings and Swiss German when speaking casually,” said Jordan, who will be teaching English to Swiss students at two secondary schools in Zurich. “I’m excited to learn more about German from the Swiss perspective.”

Inspired by her time at Tufts and semester abroad in Madrid, Jordan is eager to establish herself in Switzerland. “I’m looking forward to starting to build my life in a new place,” she said. She said she enjoyed learning about Boston and Madrid when she moved to both cities, “finding bakeries and bookstores and beautiful streets that I loved,” and is “really excited to do that in Zurich.”