Two outstanding graduates from The University of Tulsa have advanced to the 2025 Fulbright Award semifinals in the Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Program and the Fulbright Student Research Program.
Ireland La Munyon of Fontana, California, graduated in 2024 with majors in Spanish and education, and Cara Johnson of St. Louis graduated in 2022 with a degree in media studies and minors in biomedical engineering, Spanish, health sciences, and dance. Johnson also earned a graduate degree in sustainability from Texas State University in 2024.
Johnson credits UTulsa’s Global Engagement program for inspiring her to apply for the Fulbright scholarship, particularly her experience as a Gilman Scholar studying abroad. “As an alumna of that program, I was able to partake in a Global Food Security seminar in August 2024,” said Johnson. Fulbright was a feature of this seminar, exposing Johnson to several issues within Colombia’s food security discourses that resonated with her. “I found I was greatly aligned with the robust efforts to address these challenges,” she said.
Her project will investigate how microgrids can promote environmental justice and food sustainability along Colombia’s Pacific coast, where communities are disproportionately affected by challenges related to energy access, food security, and climate change. This research opportunity aims to reveal how microgrids can sensitively and sustainably cater to community needs. “As I continue my career focused on equity and resilience,” Johnson stated, “this experience will equip me with the knowledge and perspective to support a more sustainable future.”
La Munyon, inspired by her passion for teaching, has applied to the Fulbright English Teaching Assistant program in Peru. Last summer, she assisted with an archeological expedition led by faculty from the University of Nevada – Las Vegas and University of California – Santa Cruz.
“We worked in the highlands of Huarochiri near Lima, collaborating with people from various villages,” La Munyon explained. “As a member of the Cherokee Nation and someone whose education was supported by it, it was important to me to work directly with Indigenous communities. I was inspired by the kindness of the people I met and the cultural exchange through language, food, and customs.”
If selected, La Munyon believes the Fulbright award will take her teaching and Spanish skills to the next level, allowing her to better serve her future students in the United States. “This experience will help me become the best Spanish teacher I can be,” she said.
Fulbright is an international academic exchange program founded in 1946. The U.S. government oversees an extensive suite of fellowships and scholarships in partnership with more than 160 countries worldwide. Awardees meet, work, live with, and learn from the people of the host country, sharing daily experiences and gaining an appreciation of others’ viewpoints and beliefs, the way they do things, and the way they think.
Applicants are selected based on their project proposal, grant purpose, qualifications, and personal attributes and aspirations in relation to the Fulbright Mission, among other factors.