Grad finds her niche with a Fulbright grant
2015 grad Anna “Annie” Colarusso is cramming to learn a little Dutch, while preparing for a year of study in Amsterdam on a Fulbright grant. (Photo by Guillermo Cabrera-Rojo)
After Anna “Annie” Colarusso returned to Tulane University from her study abroad experience in Dublin during her junior year, all she could think about was plotting how to return to Ireland.
The history major, who graduated from Tulane on May 16, conducted extensive genealogical research to see if she would qualify for citizenship in the Emerald Isle.
Colarusso wrote her honors thesis on the environmental history of Louisiana, focusing on the spatial relationship between petrochemical companies and the communities near them. Then, she learned about a master"s degree program in Amsterdam that focuses on environmental and resource management.
After she read in New Wave about 2014 Tulane grad Patrick Matthews, who received a Fulbright grant to Dutch-speaking Ghent, Belgium, last year, Colarusso decided to apply to the Fulbright program.
Colarusso is among eight from Tulane University who will be heading overseas this coming academic year to study, conduct research or teach English in the Fulbright U.S. Student Program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
Colarusso, who has been passionate about social justice since middle school and volunteered with the Louisiana Bucket Brigade during college, is excited to find her niche and the funding to pursue her interests.
“I find environmental issues to be pressing, with contemporary political aspects to history that are fascinating,” says Colarusso, a Pittsburgh native. “The Netherlands is a leader in governing in regard to environmental issues.”
2015 Tulane Fulbright grant recipients, country and project
Jonathan Berman, 2013 graduate, to Argentina, “Investigation of Autism Spectrum Disorder Prevalence and Services in Argentina;” Anna Colarusso, 2015 graduate, to Amsterdam, study/research grant at VU University Amsterdam; and Nhu Ngoc Pham, master of public health, 2015, bachelor of science in public health, 2013, to South Korea, “The Impact of Westernization on Korean Elderly Suicides and Aging.”
These recipients will take part in English Teaching Assistant Programs: Sara DeStefano, 2015 graduate, to Peru; Casey Donahue, 2014 graduate, to Turkey; David Duesing, 2013 graduate, to Spain; Emily Parker, 2015 graduate, to Thailand; and Tess Zaretsky, 2015 graduate, to South Korea.
“The Netherlands is a leader in governing in regard to environmental issues.”—Anna “Annie” Colarusso, class of 2015
