Four current Wabash College students have accepted international fellowships to locations in Austria, Estonia, Germany, and Spain.
Evan Bone ’26 and Braiden Foster ’26 accepted Fulbright English Teaching Assistantships (ETA) to study in Estonia and Germany, respectively, while Hunter Otto ’26 accepted a United States Teaching Assistantship (USTA) to Austria and Julio Cruz-Romero ’27 accepted a Gilman International Scholarship to study in Spain.
An English major with a minor in Black studies, Bone is member of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity and the Sphinx Club, serving as mental health chair of the former. Additionally, he is a former president of the College Mentors for Kids, served as a Wabash Writing Center Consultant, and is a Dean’s List honoree.
Previously, he made an immersion trip to Poland with Professor Agata Szczeszak-Brewer’s “War and Literature” class in the spring of 2024.
“Earning the Fulbright Scholarship has given much of the internal growth I’ve experienced a tangible result that is rewarding and affirming,” said Bone, a native of Indianapolis. “Living and teaching in Estonia will give me valuable experience connecting with students that will translate to my future career in academia. Wabash has given me opportunities to develop my teaching skills, but the Fulbright offers a remarkable opportunity to grow in that capacity because I can focus on teaching while exploring somewhere new, which should lead to profound growth as a writer and person.”
Bone has yet to receive his placement location in Estonia.
A rhetoric and German double major with a film and digital media minor, Foster is a member of Sigma Chi Fraternity,
a multimedia student assistant with the Little Giant football team, German Club, Delta Phi Alpha German Honor Society, Lambda Pi Eta Communications Honor Society, has volunteered with the Special Olympics, and has been a part of the College’s livestream crew.
He completed an immersion learning experience in Heidelberg, Germany, with his German 202 class in May 2023, and in Freiburg, Germany, during a semester abroad in the spring of 2025, and is a Dean’s List honoree.
“As a reflection of my intense language work over the last decade, this award means a ton to me,” said Foster, a native of Batesville, Indiana. “The Fulbright is a very prestigious award and I am honored to take part. I have a passion for the German language and getting a chance to live and work in Germany through the Fulbright was one that I could not pass up. I also aim to be a great reflection of Wabash College around the world, and this provides a good first step for me to do just that.”
Foster will be based in the German state of Lower Saxony during his fellowship.
A German and Philosophy, Politics, and Economics double major, Otto, has served as a German tutor, the philanthropy chair for the Independent Men’s Association, president of the Bass Fishing Club, secretary of the Wabash Republicans, and a member of the rugby team.
He studied abroad in Heidelberg, Germany, in the fall of 2024 as a Gilman Scholarship recipient and interned with the German-American Heritage Museum through the Fund for American Studies Program in Washington, D.C. Otto was also selected for a Fulbright ETA award to Germany this spring.
“I am grateful to receive this fellowship and I want to make the most of it,” said Otto, a native of Normal, Illinois. “I look to improve my German language skills and gain a better understanding of Austria and Europe more generally. I loved my study abroad at the University of Heidelberg and hope this experience with USTA will help me along the path toward a career in foreign service.”
Otto will be based in Eisenerz, Austria, during his USTA assignment.
Cruz-Romero, a psychology major with minors in education studies and Spanish, is a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity and serves as a Community Scholar at the Latino Community Center, where he leads English Conversation Tables, and as vice president of community and engagement for College Mentors for Kids. He is the Interfraternity Council philanthropy chair and president of the Indoor Soccer Club.
Cruz-Romero also completed a Global Health Initiative internship in Peru, focused on community health, early childhood education, women’s wellness, and inclusive education.
“The Gilman Scholarship means a lot to me because studying abroad has never felt like just a trip,” said Cruz-Romero, a native of Palmview, Texas. “For me, it connects to where I come from, my family, and the work I want to keep doing. Growing up in the Rio Grande Valley, I saw how language, culture, family, and access all shape the opportunities people believe are possible for them. Being able to study in Salamanca feels like a door opening that I do not take lightly.”
Cruz-Romero will be based in Salamanca, Spain, in the fall of 2026 during his Gilman experience.
“This year’s Fulbright and USTA results signal another strong year for Wabash’s senior-class fellowship applicants,” said Susan Albrecht, Wabash College Fellowship Advisor. “Braiden and Hunter join a long list of Wabash men who have headed to Germany or Austria through these programs, while Evan will be our first-ever Fulbright to Estonia. Hunter also continues the trend of former Gilman Scholars who have gone on to be selected for additional international fellowships. I’m thrilled for Julio’s selection to the program, as the Gilman provides a wonderful mechanism for the introduction to international study and cultural exchange.”
The Fulbright and USTA programs are similar in their goals to place recipients in classrooms abroad and to provide assistance to teachers of English to non-native speakers, while serving as a U.S. cultural ambassador. It is the job of these native English speakers as teaching assistants to make learning a foreign language a lively cross-cultural encounter for their students. The age and academic level of classroom students vary by country, ranging from kindergarten to university.
Administered by the Institute of International Education on behalf of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and funded by Congress, the purpose of the Gilman International Scholarship program is to encourage participation in study abroad programs for under-represented students, particularly those who are studying in under-represented areas of the world and/or under-represented languages. They are required to complete a follow-on service project that encourages study abroad after their return.
These four students are among the many Wabash men who have earned highly competitive fellowships since 2014, including the Rhodes, Marshall, Truman, Obama Voyager, Yenching, Goldwater, and Point Foundation Flagship Scholarships. Additionally, Wabash students have earned the Center for the Study of Presidency and Congress’ Presidential Fellowship, U.K. Fulbright Summer Institute placement, Critical Language Scholarship, and NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships, to go with 37 Fulbrights and 35 Gilman Scholarships.