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Four recent St. Olaf College graduates have been awarded grants to study and teach English abroad during the 2026–27 academic year through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, and two more have been named alternates for the prestigious award. 

Created and funded by Congress in 1946, the Fulbright Program aims to foster international goodwill through the exchange of scholars and students of all disciplines and cultures. 

“The Fulbright Program has come under significant challenges in recent years, including proposed detrimental cuts to its budget and external ideological interference,” says St. Olaf Director of External Fellowships and Professor of Political Science Doug Casson. “Yet our students have not given up on its core aspiration –– to foster peace and understanding through cultural exchange. We are so proud of what they have decided to do with their talent.”

Applicants to Fulbright at St. Olaf are supported by a robust team of faculty and staff members who help students and alumni connect with nationally competitive fellowship opportunities. Since 1949, St. Olaf has produced more than 200 Fulbright recipients. Last year alone, three Oles received Fulbright awards. In recent years, St. Olaf recipients have contributed to research projects and teaching fellowships focused on topics ranging from how policies impact teacher recruitment and retention to climate-resilient agricultural practices.

Here are this year’s Fulbright award recipients:

Charlotte Buchman ’26 from Waupaca, Wisconsin, majored in music. She will serve as an English Teaching Assistant at Yoan Ekzarh Fifth Foreign Language School in Varna, Bulgaria. Supported by the America for Bulgaria Foundation, Buchman will support one of the foundation’s core initiatives, the Bulgarian English Speech and Debate Tournaments (BEST) Foundation. Their tournaments enhance and grow students’ English proficiency through speech and debate competitions across Bulgaria and the Balkans. BEST Foundation’s Fulbright English Teaching Assistants always take part in these tournaments, often serving as a coach and judge for their respective schools’ programs. 

Outside of teaching and traveling, Buchman is a musician who enjoys choir, playing piano, and composing. She also enjoys outdoor activities such as hiking, swimming, and cycling. She is very excited to form connections in Bulgaria through the folk and choral music traditions, and to explore the beauty of the Balkan region.

Dori Hobbie ’26 from Falcon Heights, Minnesota, majored in political science and history, with concentrations in international relations and education, as well as a Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) certification. Hobbie will serve as the Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in the Slovak Republic. 

Hobbie applied to Slovakia because of her personal connection to the country. Her high school had a sister-school in Bratislava, allowing her to connect with a number of exchange students during that time. From this formative experience, Slovakia was a natural place for her to apply. Hobbie is excited to experience the cultural exchange and experiential learning offered through the program.

At St. Olaf, she played on the varsity volleyball team all four years and spent summers coaching, which led to an interest in education. Hobbie intends to bring the athletic part of her identity to Slovakia for engagement outside of the classroom, whether it be coaching, playing, or both. Hobbie believes that athletics go beyond language and culture, allowing players to make lifelong connections. Volunteering has also played a significant role in her life, from participating in4-H growing up to involvement in Alpha Phi Omega at St. Olaf. She hopes to engage with Slovak communities through service as well. After her Fulbright year is completed, Hobbie plans to attend law school.

Thea Larsson ’26 from Grinnell, Iowa, majored in psychology with concentrations in gender and sexuality studies and family studies. Through a personal connection to Bulgaria formed by hosting an international student, Larsson is eager to engage with the community and foster cultural exchange during her Fulbright year as an English Teaching Assistant. Her interest in teaching and cross-cultural exchange was shaped by her experience with an AmeriCorps summer literacy program in her hometown, where she had the opportunity to work with elementary school students. At St. Olaf, she was a member of the women’s cross country and track and field teams for two years and studied abroad through DIS Copenhagen and the St. Olaf Global Semester.

Addie Rossino ’25 from Minneapolis, Minnesota, majored in biology, Chinese, and Norwegian. She will serve as an English Teaching Assistant in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Rossinow is passionate about linguistic and cultural exchange, and is eager to combine her language skills with her deep interest in the natural world. She plans to pursue a career that combines the two fields. 

In addition to the four Fulbright recipients, Penuel (Blue) Nawa ‘24 was selected as alternate. Nawa, from Texas, majored in English, creative writing, and education. He has been selected as an alternate for the English Teaching Assistant award in Turkey. Nawa has credited his diverse experiences as a first-generation, Black, low-income migrant living in both Zambia and the United States, as well as being a TRIO McNair Scholar to his success. With his experience as an English as a Second Language teacher, writing tutor, and Summer Bridge writing class teaching assistant, Nawa is prepared to provide the highest quality of teaching at Turkish universities, putting theory into practice so students of all cultural and educational backgrounds can succeed.