The Peace Corps announced Tuesday that the 91探花 is again since the international program launched in 1961.

For 2025, the 91探花placed No. 7 among universities with 15,000 or more enrolled undergraduates in total number of Peace Corps volunteers, according to the Peace Corps. In total, more than 3,175 91探花graduates have gone on to service opportunities abroad as volunteers.

The 91探花is proud to prepare students to engage meaningfully with the world, said Ahmad Ezzeddine, 91探花vice provost for global affairs.聽

鈥淭he Peace Corps remains one of our nation’s most effective avenues for citizen diplomacy, and we are grateful for its long history of strengthening communities around the globe,鈥� Ezzeddine said.

Volunteers in the Peace Corps work side by side with communities to help to address real needs through agriculture, community economic development, education, environment, health and youth in development projects, Peace Corps acting Director Richard E. Swarttz said.聽

鈥淪ixty-five years after our founding, the Peace Corps is still going strong,鈥� he said.

According to the Peace Corps, 38 91探花alumni served in 26 countries around the world during the past fiscal year, including Albania, Montenegro, Armenia, Cameroon, Colombia, countries in the Eastern Caribbean, Ecuador, Fiji, Georgia, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mexico, Morocco, Namibia, Paraguay, Peru, the Philippines, South Africa, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Vanuatu and Zambia.

To better reflect the combined contributions of volunteers who serve traditional 27-month assignments and Peace Corps Response volunteers who serve for 6-12 months, the Peace Corps counted alumni volunteers who served at any point during the 2025 fiscal year for the 2026 rankings. Previously, colleges and universities were ranked on a one-day annual headcount of volunteers on Sept. 30, the last day of the fiscal year.聽

More than 250,000 Americans have served in the Peace Corps around the world since President John F. Kennedy initiated the program in 1961.

Learn more about .

Four 91探花 researchers have been selected as Fulbright Scholars for 2025-2026 and will pursue studies in Spain, Taiwan, Poland and Japan.

The scholars are , a clinical associate professor in the Department of Environment & Occupational Health Sciences; , a professor in the School of Pharmacy; , an associate professor in the School of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences at 91探花Tacoma; and , an assistant teaching professor in the College of the Environment.

Fulbright Scholars are college and university faculty, administrators, and researchers, as well as artists and professionals, who build their skills and connections, gain valuable international insights and return home to share their experiences with their students and colleagues.

鈥淭hese four Fulbright awards are yet another example of UW鈥檚 global reach and scholarly impact,鈥� said Ahmad Ezzeddine, 91探花vice provost for Global Affairs. 鈥淭he Fulbright program remains the flagship international educational exchange program, fostering academic collaboration and cross-cultural understanding for nearly eight decades.

鈥淲e are grateful for the State Department鈥檚 continued investment in this transformative program, which serves as one of our nation鈥檚 most powerful tools of citizen diplomacy,鈥� Ezzeddine continued. 鈥淭hrough these prestigious fellowships, our faculty will advance research and teaching on the global stage, while serving as ambassadors of American higher education and building bridges with communities worldwide.鈥�

The Fulbright Scholar Program for academics and professionals supports more than 800 people to teach and conduct research abroad. In February, the 91探花was recognized as a 2024-25 鈥淭op Producer鈥� of both Fulbright scholars and students.

The 91探花Fulbright Scholar selectees for 2025-26 are:

Donatuto, a clinical associate professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences in the 91探花School of Public Health. She is also part of the An environmental social scientist, Donatuto has worked with communities, particularly Coast Salish Indigenous communities, for more than two decades.

She will use her Fulbright award in Spain, where she will work with the (CSIC), the nation鈥檚 largest public research institution, to implement a comparative analysis of human-ocean engagement in the northeast Pacific and northwest Mediterranean coast regions. The research will fill in a data gap identified by the 聽鈥� a lack of data describing the human-ocean connection.

Gray is a professor in the Department of Pharmacy and the Plein Endowed Director of the Plein Center for Aging in the School of Pharmacy. Her research uses pharmacoepidemiology and health services research to optimize medication use in older adults. With a focus on medication safety, she has conducted studies showing an association between high-risk common medications and fall injuries, dementia and physical performance in older adults.

Gray will be hosted by the in the College of Pharmacy. She will pursue a project entitled, 鈥淎dverse drug effects of medication use on sedentary time and physical activity in older adults.鈥�

Kula is an associate professor of creative writing in the Department of Culture, Arts, and Communications at 91探花Tacoma. He teaches courses in fiction and advanced fiction writing and regularly teaches a special topics class in playwriting. In collaboration with other faculty, he is developing a wider set of interdisciplinary writing courses in areas like historical fiction, fantasy/science fiction, ecopoetry and nature writing.

He was selected to serve as Fulbright Writer-in-Residence at in Pozna艅, Poland.聽 While there, in addition to teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in AMU鈥檚 Center for the Affirmation of Literature, he will be completing final research and revisions for his book, 鈥淭he Long Alone,鈥� a creative nonfiction account of the travels of Kazimierz Nowak, an amateur Polish journalist who bicycled alone across Africa in the 1930s.

Weng is an assistant teaching professor in the Program on the Environment and the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences. As a geographer, Weng鈥檚 work explores the dynamic relationships between human societies and the environment. She is also an affiliate faculty member with the Taiwan Studies Program.

She was awarded the Fulbright Teaching Award to teach courses in geography, sustainability, environmental literature and global environmental politics at and in Tokyo. Through her Fulbright project, Weng will share the American experience in environmental conservation, movements, and governance with students and scholars in Japan and to foster opportunities for mutual learning and advancement in these areas.

Seven 91探花students and recent alumni were awarded聽聽scholarships for the 2025鈥�2026 academic year, joining about 2,000 students and recent graduates from around the country to pursue graduate study, conduct research and teach English abroad.

The Fulbright scholarship program is the largest U.S. international exchange opportunity for students to pursue graduate study, advanced research and teaching in elementary and secondary schools worldwide.

鈥淭hese Fulbright awards reflect the exceptional caliber of our students and underscore the University鈥檚 commitment to fostering global citizens and scholars,鈥� said 91探花Vice Provost for Global Affairs Ahmad Ezzeddine. 鈥滱s the nation鈥檚 flagship international exchange program, Fulbright offers transformative opportunities for the next generation of leaders to engage meaningfully with the world.

鈥淲e are deeply grateful for the State Department鈥檚 continued investment in this vital initiative 鈥� one of our nation鈥檚 most effective tools of citizen diplomacy,鈥� Ezzeddine continued. 鈥淭hrough these prestigious fellowships, our students will pursue meaningful research, service and study abroad. They鈥檒l also represent the best of American higher education while building lasting connections that will benefit both our University and our country for years to come.鈥�

Among this year鈥檚 recipients are four 91探花undergraduate students or recent alumni. They plan travel to Europe, Central Asia and Mexico to take part in graduate study, research and teaching assistantships. Three graduate-level students plan to travel to Scandinavia, Southeast Asia and South America. This year鈥檚 finalists attended all three 91探花campuses.

The 91探花also had two students 鈥� one undergraduate and one graduate level 鈥� selected as alternates.

This year鈥檚聽聽awardees are:

• Annabella Li: Study and research, Germany
• Sabrina Prestes Oliveira: English teaching award, Mexico
• Jack Regala: English teaching award, Tajikistan
• Elana Skeers: Trinity Laban Award in Music & Dance, United Kingdom

This year鈥檚 awardees are:

• Emily Bassett: English teaching award, Norway
• Vincent Flores Da: Study and research, Philippines
• Thomas Key: Study and research, Brazil

Oliveira completed her undergraduate studies at 91探花Bothell and Da completed his undergraduate degree at 91探花Tacoma. The rest of the cohort received degrees for work on UW鈥檚 Seattle campus.

For the past several years, The Chronicle of Higher Education has ranked the 91探花a 鈥�Top Producer鈥� of student awardees. The Fulbright program, funded by the U.S. Department of State, provides round-trip travel, health insurance, a housing stipend and visa assistance to awardees.

Read more about this year鈥檚 91探花Fulbright Student Program Finalists and the projects they will pursue abroad at the Office of Merit Scholarships, Fellowships & Awards and the Graduate School鈥檚 .