Following a funding freeze initiated by the Trump administration in February, uncertainty surrounds the future of the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. Yet, Pomona and Pitzer Colleges continue to uphold their status as top Fulbright-producing institutions.
The Fulbright Program, which provides funding for international study, research projects and English Teaching Assistant (ETA) programs, faced a disruption earlier this year after the Trump administration enacted a 15-day pause on grant funding.
This year, 18 Pomona students and 18 Pitzer students were awarded the prestigious fellowship, even amid political turbulence and shifting federal funding.
Among those awarded is Alexandra Runnels PO ’25, who will be conducting research next year in Kazakhstan.
“I had a great experience during my study abroad summer in Kazakhstan, and I wanted to learn even more about the region and gain more cultural experience there,” Runnels said in correspondence with TSL.
Runnels noted their interest in the region’s shifts in language usage and emphasized how the Fulbright award will allow them to conduct more in-depth research.
The application process was not without its hurdles. Jack Pine PZ ’25, who will be an ETA in La Rioja, Spain, described the uncertainty of the experience.
“It was a lot of waiting,” Pine said. “I sent in my application sometime in October, and then I didn’t hear the decision until the week before graduation … In April, I was convinced that this program was going to be off the table.”
Runnels also explained how the Trump administration’s actions may have hindered other applicants.
“It seems that there was an extra step this year, where the Trump administration looked at people’s applications and double-checked them for keywords and ideas that went against their goals,” they said.
While they believed that their own project did not raise concerns in this new process, students with research on topics that would be flagged by the Trump administration may have been denied the opportunity to conduct research under the Fulbright program.
“There was no way to word things so that they would be approved by the administration, because their research inherently went against the goals of the administration,” Runnels said.
Another awardee, Kaylin Ong PO ’25, described the financial uncertainty that occurred mid-cycle.
“My main concern before accepting the [award] was that I would be abandoning a set program for an opportunity that would questionably be defunded in the next few months,” Ong said in correspondence with TSL, referencing her initial plans to attend graduate school in the United Kingdom.
Despite this, Ong, who will be working as an ETA in Prishtina, Kosovo, accepted the award after being assured by a Pomona fellowship advisor that the funding would be secure for the duration of her program.
Even with the adversity they faced in the application process and the concerns they held for the program’s future, these awardees highlighted the significance of the Fulbright program both as a personal opportunity and as an important part of their continuing education.
“[Fulbright] serves me in the short term by letting me have this experience and do something that I love, and it also will impact my future … for years to come,” Pine said.
Although Pine worried about the fate of the program after the unexpected waiting time, he noted his excitement about being able to engage in intercultural exchange.
“Ultimately, I’m just grateful that I get to go and that I’ve been given this opportunity,” Pine said.
Runnels expressed their disappointment for those students who were unable to secure awards following increased scrutiny from the Trump administration.
“I really feel for these people, and clearly, the host institutions felt that their projects would be valuable,” they said.
Ong also noted her concerns over the impacts on funding, but ultimately emphasized the importance she saw in the program.
“Frankly, choosing to do the Fulbright is still a huge risk in my opinion but one that I feel will be incredible for my personal and professional life,” she said.
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