Seven of the awardees have accepted grants from the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, which builds international relationships to help solve global challenges. This flagship international educational exchange program of the U.S. government awards grants to students based on their academic and professional achievement as well as their ambassadorial skills and leadership potential. The Fulbright student program will fund more than 2,000 U.S. citizens to live abroad for the 2026-27 academic year.
John Armenta, of Cortland, Ill., will teach English in France — a continuation of his previous study as a Gilman Scholar working as a teaching assistant in a middle school of a Paris suburb. He is the first U of I undergraduate student to pursue a customized major in French Language Instruction (Teaching in French). As a first-generation Mexican-American and graduate of Dekalb High School, he is eager to connect French students to some of the unique and unfamiliar aspects of the U.S. and serve as a bridge between cultures. Armenta has developed a passion for the French language through his studies at Illinois and in his time abroad, pairing that love of the language with his other passion of teaching students of all backgrounds and identities. After completing the Fulbright term, Armenta plans to teach high school French in Illinois and pursue graduate studies in applied linguistics.