Rhodes College seniors Lucia Berkey, Riley Damiano, Piper Huddleston, and Gwen Williams have been selected to receive Fulbright U.S. Student Awards for the 2024-2025 academic year. Beginning in the fall, Berkey, Huddleston, and Williams will serve as English teaching assistants and Damiano as a researcher in their assigned countries. The Fulbright Program currently facilitates the exchange of students and scholars between the United States and more than 140 countries.
As English teaching assistants, Berkey in Mexico, Huddleston in Paraguay, and Williams in Taiwan will help teach the English language while serving as cultural ambassadors for the U.S. The age and academic level of the students varies by country, ranging from kindergarten to university level.
Berkey, a chemistry and Spanish major from Nashville, TN, studied for a semester at the Pontifical Catholic University in Santiago, Chile. She also completed a full-time, paid research internship at Vanderbilt University’s Department of Allergy, Pulmonary, and Critical Care Medicine. Currently, she volunteers as a medical Spanish interpreter at La Clínica Esperanza in Memphis. After her Fulbright year, Berkey will attend the George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences.
Huddleston, an urban studies and religious studies major from San Antonio, TX, has served as a volunteer for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the intentional community Constance Abbey, and the Just City nonprofit organization. She also has worked as an intern for DHL Global Enterprises. On campus, Huddleston has been a Hatzenbuehler Summer Ministry Fellow for Social Justice and a City Grant Fellow. She currently is a Rhodes College Student Diplomat and a Student Ambassador.
Williams, a history major from Little Rock, AR, works as a research assistant in the Department of History. She also co-edited the 2024 edition of the Rhodes Historical Review and was a 2023 research fellow with the Rhodes Institute for Regional Studies. Williams regularly volunteers as an adult ESL teacher at Su Casa Family Ministries. On campus, she is involved in many student organizations, including serving as senior event coordinator for the Rhodes chapter of Amnesty International. Williams is also being inducted into the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa honor society.
Damiano, a neuroscience major from Patterson, NY, is recipient of a Fulbright Study/Research Award by the Netherland-America Foundation. She will conduct neuropsychology research at Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, which is the largest pediatric oncology center in Europe. Damiano has conducted research at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in the Department of Psychology and Biobehavioral Sciences. On campus, she is a Rhodes Student Government senator, member of Tri Delta, a Rhodes Diplomat, and an executive board member of the Rhodes Outdoor Organization. Damiano was inducted into the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa honor society in her junior year.