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. The age and academic level of their students vary by country, ranging from kindergarten to university level.
Cracraft, an English and Chinese studies major from Nashville, TN, is a Rhodes College Writing Fellow. She studied Chinese language and culture at Soochow University as part of Rhodes’ 2024 Maymester in Taipei, Taiwan. “I have an appreciation for English in all its forms, especially literature, academic writing, and discussion-based learning,” says Cracraft, who aspires to use the Fulbright grant to deepen her interest in teaching. “I love helping students find and use their voices by providing them with the skills to express themselves in an academic context.”
Additionally, Cracraft has visited relatives in Taiwan throughout her life and developed a proficiency in Mandarin Chinese. “During my time as an English teaching assistant, I hope to participate in an exchange of ideas between American and Taiwanese education systems so that I can bring new methods and practices to my future classroom and community.”
Gold, who is from Madison, WI, is pursuing a double major in Chinese studies and international studies. As one of Rhodes’ 2025 Mertie W. Buckman International Interns, she worked at Konnit Play to Learn in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, where she designed play-based STEM lessons for children. The prior year, Gold earned Rhodes’ Robert Buckman Fellowship for Study Abroad that allowed her to study Mandarin at the National Taiwan University. Her teaching experience includes tutoring cello students and volunteering with elementary programs in the U.S. “My pedagogical approach to teaching English includes implementing interactive lessons that incorporate visuals, simplified instructions, and movement-based activities to reach learners of varying abilities,” says Gold.
Kebede is a business major from Memphis, TN. As one of Rhodes’ 2025 Theodore William Eckels International Interns, she worked in Vienna, Austria, for both the AMADEUS Festival Vienna and AMADEUS International School. “For the festival, I created promotional content, assisted with press outreach, and helped coordinate digital marketing campaigns across social media,” says Kebede. “At the school, I helped strengthen the AMADEUS brand image by developing digital content, writing published PR articles highlighting school achievements, and designing marketing materials for print and online use.” At Rhodes, Kebede is president of the Rhodes Business Honor Society. She also is a member of Rhodes’ Women in Business and the Omicron Delta Epsilon chapter of the International Honor Society in Economics.
McTigue, an English and German studies major from Collierville, TN, was awarded the Robert Buckman Fellowship to study abroad in Freiburg, Germany, in the fall of 2024 and has spent the last two years tutoring others in German and in English. In the summer of 2025, she interned at World Poetry Books in New York City as part of Rhodes’ Literary New York Maymester. She also has been named the 2026 recipient of the Delta Phi Alpha National Award for Undergraduate Students of German. “I studied abroad and volunteered in Germany,” says McTigue. “I hope to use the cross-cultural teaching and communication skills I will gain through the fellowship in order to pursue a career in teaching and publishing when I return to the U.S.”
While abroad, McTigue took German language classes in film and literature through the IES Freiburg Language and Area Studies program. “I will incorporate my passion for film, writing, and photography as part of my plan for community engagement in Germany.” At Rhodes, McTigue is currently working as the Study Abroad Rhodes Student Associate in the Buckman Center for Global Engagement. She has served on the editorial board of The Southwestern Review literary magazine and is president of the German club.