Abigail Bordelon and Isabella Sotlar, both of whom graduated from the U of A as part of the Class of 2025, have received Fulbright U.S. Student Program awards, which will allow them to spend the next academic year abroad.

Bordelon, from Gulf Breeze, Florida, graduated summa cum laude with a degree in public health from the College of Education and Health Professions and a degree in Spanish from the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. Bordelon has been awarded an English teaching assistantship to help teach in Spain for the upcoming academic year.

“I am so excited and honored to join the Fulbright program as an English teaching assistant in the Canary Islands,” Bordelon said. “I anticipate as an ETA I will be working with 3- to 5-year-old students. As a late language learner, I value introducing languages to children as early as possible. I am so eager to meet my new students and begin facilitating an engaging introduction to the English language, as well as show them some of my favorite aspects of the culture I grew up with.”

Sotlar, from Joplin, Missouri, graduated cum laude with a degree in English from the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. She has been awarded a study/research grant to Italy to study the promotion of the rule of law in Sicily at the Fondazione Falcone.

“The Fulbright award means more than words can say,” Sotlar expressed. “To me it is an opportunity to learn more about the world around me and share that with others. It also offers me an opportunity for personal growth. I never would have been led down this path if not for the Italian program here at the University of Arkansas. I am forever grateful to the professors here who nurtured my love for the language and culture and pushed me to study abroad. As someone committed to lifelong learning, this opportunity to research and promote the rule of law is truly unparalleled. I am especially thankful to the faculty who have supported me and to my family and friends for their unwavering encouragement.”

“Once again this year, we had a wonderful group of students who applied for prestigious and competitive awards,” said Emily Voight, senior associate director of the Office of Nationally Competitive Awards and the Fulbright Program adviser. “These two Fulbright recipients to countries in high demand in particular embody the mission of cultivating mutual understanding across cultures. We are proud of and pleased for them and look forward to seeing where this opportunity takes them.”

Two additional students were named alternates: Mia Bingaman (2025, psychology, summa cum laude, English teaching assistantship in the Czech Republic); Nina Thomas (2025, international and global studies, magna cum laude, English teaching assistantship in Mozambique).

Since 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided more than 400,000 participants from over 160 countries the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns. The primary source of funding for the Fulbright Program is an annual appropriation by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations and foundations in foreign countries and in the U.S. also provide direct and indirect support. 

Students who are interested in applying for a Fulbright award or other nationally competitive scholarships should contact the Office of Nationally Competitive Awards at awards@uark.edu or 479-575-8673.