Graduating senior Yasmine Pirlepesova is the fifth Rhodes student selected to receive a Fulbright U.S. Student Award for the 2026-2027 academic year. She is the recipient of the competitive Fulbright Study/Research Award and will conduct research in Nepal, focusing on innovative methods of educating youth and advocating for rural communities facing challenges related to climate change.
The Fulbright Program promotes the exchange of students and scholars between the United States and more than 140 countries, with applications for the 2026-2027 academic year still under review. Rhodes is recognized as one of the top producers of Fulbright U.S. Students. Pirlepesova joins four other recipients— Sophia Cracraft, Lydia Gold, Melate Kebede, and Erin McTigue.
Fulbright Study/Research Award applicants have the opportunity to design their own projects and typically collaborate with advisers at foreign universities or other higher education institutions.
Pirlepesova, a biology major from Cordova, TN, will investigate how place-based education (PBE) centered on ecological issues and the agricultural vulnerabilities of the Surkhet District in Nepal can encourage action and advocacy among local youth. Her research aims to foster a stronger sense of community and create a personal connection to the environment.
“With the Fulbright Research Award, I will employ participatory action research to examine how PBE that promotes students' connection to the local food system can enhance a community's climate adaptive capacity—its ability to adjust to climate changes, respond to climate-related damage, and develop resilient systems,” said Pirlepesova.
At Rhodes, Pirlepesova has conducted molecular research with Drosophila melanogaster, a small fruit fly species, under the guidance of Prof. Liam Hunt and has served as a teaching assistant in biology labs. In the summer of 2023, she participated as a Posse Summer Leadership Intern at the Memphis Botanic Gardens. Additionally, she was the president of the Middle Eastern Student Association, the vice president of Rhodes' rock-climbing club, Rockin' Rhodes, and an editor for the Rhodes’ literary magazine, The Southwestern Review.