Class of 2026 Members Selected for Fulbright Student Awards

Sophia Cracraft, Lydia Gold, Melate Kebede, and Erin McTigue—members of the Rhodes College Class of 2026—have been selected to receive Fulbright U.S. Student Awards for the 2026-2027 academic year. The Fulbright Program currently facilitates the exchange of students and scholars between the United States and more than 140 countries, and applications for 2026-2027 continue to be reviewed. Rhodes is among the top producers of Fulbright U.S. Students. Cracraft and Gold in Taiwan, Kebede in Bulgaria, and McTigue in Germany will serve as English teaching assistants in their assigned countries and as cultural ambassadors for the U.S.

Watersports Experience Inspires Nick Parinella ’17 to Create Winning Invention

Rhodes senior Nick Parinella says tubing, or “floating the river,” is a popular pastime in his hometown of Austin, TX, but trying to keep up with keys or credit cards when on the water is always a big inconvenience. That fact became his inspiration for the Kangaroozie™, a can cooler (koozie) with a waterproof compartment to store valuables.