Caitlin Benedetto (2009), a BAFA Lang / Parsons alumnus, and Alexandra Mendez-Diez (2006) and Sunera Taikaram (2008), both New School for General Studies alumnus, have all been awarded Fulbright U.S. Student Scholarships.

Benedetto, who earned a BFA in Design and Technology and a BA in History will work on a project titled, “Sudden Flowers: A Case Study of New Media and Visual Culture for Human Rights” in Ethiopia. Mendez-Diez’s who earned a MFA in Creative Writing Poetry will work on a project titled, “In Search of Lunita Laredo” in Spain. Taikaram, who earned an MA in International Affairs will be traveling to Barbados where she’ll be working on a project titled, “Assessing Community-Based Disaster Management in Barbados.” These New School alumni are among over the 1,450 American citizens traveling abroad for the 2009-10 academic year through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program.

The Fulbright Program, America’s flagship international-educational exchange program, is sponsored by the United States Department of State and the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Since its establishment in 1946, under legislation introduced by the late Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas, the Fulbright Program has funded approximately 286,500 Americans to study, teach, or research abroad, and 178,340 students, scholars, and teachers from other countries to engage in similar activities in the United States. The program operates in over 155 countries.