HPU Sets Record with Four Fulbright Recipients

Four High Point University graduates have been awarded scholarships from the prestigious Fulbright U.S. Student Program to teach English and earn master’s degrees abroad. Pictured from left are Emma Higgins, Taylor Galavotti, Ethan Muckerheide and Madison Shelby.

Since this story was published, Blake Horne became the fifth HPU graduate awarded a Fulbright scholarship for the 2025-26 academic year. Visit here to read his story.

HIGH POINT, N.C., June 25, 2025 – Four High Point University graduates have been awarded scholarships from the prestigious Fulbright U.S. Student Program to teach English and earn master’s degrees abroad. It marks the highest number of Fulbright recipients from HPU in a single year, surpassing last year’s mark of three award winners.

This year’s scholarship recipients will live, work and interact with people in their host countries for one academic year as American cultural ambassadors through the U.S. government’s flagship cultural exchange program. In addition, four HPU alumni were selected as Fulbright alternates and may receive scholarships if additional funding becomes available.

“We are so proud of this year’s Fulbright recipients and alternates,” said Dr. James Cotton, HPU’s director of national fellowships and awards. “Their hard work and dedication have positioned HPU to receive a distinction as a Fulbright Top-Producing Baccalaureate Institution in 2026.”

Cotton underscored that the achievements of the eight HPU graduates were made possible through HPU’s outstanding Honors Scholar Program and the unparalleled opportunities offered through the Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Works, the Entrepreneurship Center, the Volunteer Center and the Office of Career and Professional Development.

“At each step of the way, HPU was there to support their strong academics and initiative,” he said.

HPU’s Fulbright recipients for the 2025-26 academic year are:

Emma Higgins, an Honors Scholar with a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from Yonkers, New York, received a study-research award to pursue a master’s degree in electrical engineering at KAUST University in Saudi Arabia. Her project will focus on developing sensors to detect radiation in the batteries of electric vehicles. The project is connected to her long-term goal to contribute to the development of safer, more efficient technologies in the automotive industry.

Taylor Galavotti, an Honors Scholar from Lexington, Kentucky, with a Bachelor of Arts in English and a BS in neuroscience, received an English Teaching Assistantship award in Timor-Leste on the island of Timor in Southeast Asia. She will teach conversational English at the University of Dili and American cultural topics at the U.S. Embassy’s American cultural center. She is looking forward to joining the effort to digitize the country’s traditional song-poems through a student journal project.

Ethan Muckerheide, an Honors Scholar from Centerville, Ohio, who graduated with a B.A. in psychology in 2024, received a study-research award to earn a master’s degree in sports psychology at the University of Stirling in Scotland. As he prepares for a career as a sports psychologist, he will research how athletes in both the United States and the United Kingdom can be better supported as they advance through their careers.

Madison Shelby, an elementary education major and Education Fellow from Frisco, Texas, received an English Teaching Assistantship award in South Korea, where she will leverage her experiences as a French tutor, a teaching assistant, a summer camp counselor and president of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. In addition to English, she will teach American cultural topics, such as civil rights and the experiences of Black Americans.

HPU’s four Fulbright alternates are Nigel Debrito (English Teaching Assistantship in Portugal); Savannah Graver (study-research award in Taiwan); Cora Hicks (English Teaching Assistantship in Spain); and Blake Horne (English Teaching Assistantship in Taiwan).

Established in 1946 by an act of the U.S. Congress, the Fulbright provides students the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research abroad. HPU students interested in the Fulbright program should contact the Office of Fellowships and Awards.