Puskar and Speranzo Advance to Fulbright Semifinals
Pair Start Shenandoah's First Year of Fulbright Applications With Success
Shenandoah Conservatory alumna Erin Puskar ’15, ’16 and senior music education major Joey Speranzo ’17 have been named Fulbright semifinalists by the national screening committee. Puskar hopes to study and research in Taiwan, and Speranzo seeks to be an English teaching assistant in Bulgaria.
The Fulbright selection process has two stages: the national screening committee selects a limited group of semifinalists in January and sends those applications to the countries, which then make the final selections. The first stage is the most competitive part of the process; about half of the semifinalists end up being offered Fulbright awards.
Shenandoah is proud to have a 100% success rate in this competitive first round in its first year of applications. This success is a tribute to the hard work of the students, their advisors, and the Shenandoah University Fulbright campus committee, as well as the research, planning, coordination, and shepherding throughout the process of Interim Dean of the School of Health Professions Karen Abraham, Ph.D.
Puskar received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance in 2015 and a Master of Science in Performing Arts Leadership and Management in 2016. Speranzo is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Music Education and studies with Professor of Saxophone Timothy Roberts, D.M.A.
Photo of Erin Puskar by Rick Foster
