Four Honors students have been awarded Fulbright scholarships: Bernadette Rechek, Gurasis Singh, Dylan Stage, and Bella Minahan.
Senior Honors student Bernadette Rechek has been offered a Fulbright award to teach English in the Slovak Republic next year. The English and Developmental Psychology major from Altoona, Wisconsin, who plans to become a teacher and educational policy advocate, has taught ballet, volunteered as a literacy tutor, worked as a teaching assistant, and helped to design and execute the first-year experience for students in the College of Liberal Arts. On campus she founded and directed the Minnesota Shakespeare Society, and she was a fellow of the Hertog Foundation’s Political Studies and Humanities programs. In her final year of high school, Bernadette danced with Ballet Chicago’s studio company, and she choreographs and performs with the Dance Collective on campus. She plans to use her enthusiasm for literature and dance to build relationships and learn more about local history and cultural traditions in the Slovak Republic.
Senior Gurasis Singh has been offered a Fulbright Award to teach English in Indonesia next year. The Political Science and Entrepreneurial Management major from Rochester looks forward to helping Indonesian school children develop English skills through debate and storytelling while learning himself from Indonesian initiatives in education. A Truman Scholarship nominee last year, Gurasis has a substantial record of public engagement with education, including an Ignite fellowship with Teach for America and internships in curriculum design with Rochester Public Schools and educational policy analysis with K12 Coalition. He has also developed an AI-assisted educational platform, Echo Learn, that provides direct active learning support to students. In the future he plans to complete further studies in educational policy and work to make active and individualized learning practices available in under-resourced schools.
Honors graduate Dylan Stage ('23) will spend the 2026-27 academic year teaching English in Türkiye with a Fulbright award. In addition to his Political Science, Economics and Spanish majors, he completed the Community Engaged Scholars Program, dedicating time to youth development with 4H, court monitoring with the Advocates for Human Rights, and offering citizenship tutoring with the Latino Youth Development Collaborative, as well as interning with a number of government offices. After graduation, Dylan spent two years in Mexico assisting English instruction at Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo as a Peace Corps volunteer, and during the past year he has worked as a Career Resources Fellow in Rwamagana, Rawanda, helping high schoolers develop speech and debate skills. After stretching his global experience further in Türkiye, he plans to complete a law degree and work as an Attorney-Advisor to the U. S. State Department.
Honors graduate Bella Minahan has been offered a Fulbright award to support a year of teaching in Argentina. The Spanish and Global Studies major from Wauwatosa, Wisconsin graduated in 2025 and has been working as a research assistant with the Human Rights Program at the University collecting and preserving oral histories. The Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship will build on her experience with language instruction, which includes organizing Spanish conversation groups and tutoring for citizenship exams. It will also offer Bella the opportunity to participate in Argentine initiatives to record memories, such as the Asociación de Historia Oral, and she hopes to have the chance to pursue her interest in open water swimming. After her year abroad, Bella plans to continue her studies in public policy or development.