UM GRADUATES EARN PRESTIGIOUS SCHOLARSHIP TO TEACH ABROAD
MISSOULA – Five University of Montana graduates will teach or conduct research abroad this year after earning the prestigious Fulbright Scholarship.
“These Fulbright award winners will head across the globe to further their education and develop a new perspective as they enter the next chapter of their lives,” said Kylla Benes, director of UM’s Office of External Scholarships and Fellowships. “All five of these students have excelled in and out of the classroom and I am excited that they will get the opportunity to represent UM and the U.S. through this impactful scholarship.”
The Fulbright U.S. Student Program provides students with the opportunity to travel to one of 140 countries worldwide to continue their education. Program Participants pursue graduate study, conduct research and teach English abroad as they expand their perspectives through academic and personal advancement, as well as cross-cultural dialogue. Over 100 UM students and alumni have earned Fulbright awards used in 50 different countries around the world.
Courtney Bentz of Billings will use her Fulbright Scholarship to teach English in Kyrgyzstan. With UM degrees in Russian and Global Studies, the aspiring diplomat is hoping to deliver cross-cultural work to the Kyrgyzstan students she will work with. Bentz was named to UM Dean’s List each year as an undergraduate student and is also an alum of the W.A. Franke Global Leadership Initiative. This is the third Department of State scholarship for Bentz, who was awarded the Critical Language Scholarship and Gilman Scholarship as an undergraduate.
With his Fulbright Scholarship, Ryan Garnsey of Bozeman will attend the University of Vienna and also teach English. The prospective educator and researcher will continue his studies in the philosophy of psychiatry and cognitive sciences as he continues to work toward securing a Ph.D. Garnsey, a former Rhodes Scholar finalist, also was awarded the Cynthia Herbig Award for Excellence in Philosophy and a Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange award as a UM undergraduate.
Sean Kellogg of Northern Virginia will teach in Germany with the support of his Fulbright Scholarship. Focusing on cultural dialogue, Kellogg plans to build on his UM history and wildlife biology degrees by creating a conservation club for German students. At the conclusion of his scholarship, Kellogg plans to continue his education in a graduate degree program. Kellogg has been a member of UM’s President’s 4.0 list since 2019.
Michelle Kissling of Juneau, Alaska will use her Fulbright Scholarship to study the Greater Kafue Ecosystem in Zambia. The Ph.D. student studying wildlife biology at UM will develop an analytical framework to estimate wildlife population dynamics and evaluate efficacy of interventions in sub-Saharan Africa. At the conclusion of her scholarship, she plans to continue this work for a non-governmental organization.
Jason Stahl of Missoula, Montana will spend a year with the Mennonite Research Center in Weierhof, Germany to study 16th and 17th-century Hutterite medical texts. The UM history alum, and former Hutterite, hopes to understand how ethnoreligious traditions are lost and retained as groups experience persecution and migration. He plans to archive his work at Anabaptist centers in the US, Germany and Canada. After his Fulbright year, Jason plans to pursue graduate school as he works towards becoming a professor of religious studies.
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Contact: Kylla Benes, director, UM Office of External Scholarships and Fellowships, 406-243-5241, kylla.benes@umt.edu.