3 Earlhamites named Fulbright semifinalists

For three Earlhamites, years of research, language study, mentorship, and intellectual curiosity have culminated in a significant achievement: being named Fulbright semifinalists. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is a nationally competitive fellowship that supports graduates pursuing research, graduate study, or English teaching abroad while fostering cross-cultural exchange.

This year’s semifinalists include:

• Dera Driscoll ’26, Japanese studies and math double major.
• Jacob Gurt ’25, a recent graduate with a degree in comparative languages and linguistics.
• Reba McGloughlin ’26, a peace and global studies and religion double major.

Semifinalist status marks an important step in one of the country’s most competitive international fellowships. Applications are evaluated for academic merit, sense of purpose, originality, and the applicant’s potential to foster cross-cultural exchange. Advancing in the process signals both the quality of the students’ work and their capacity to contribute meaningfully abroad.

“Earlham students’ remarkable intellectual curiosity compels them to explore questions and ideas that transcend easy categorization,” said Elana Passman, professor of history and Earlham’s Fulbright liaison. “The breadth of their learning empowers each Earlham student to blaze a unique path. I’m thrilled this world-renowned fellowship has recognized the distinctive achievements of these three Earlhamites.”

Earlham has a strong history with the program. Since 1991, 42 Earlhamites have been selected for Fulbright awards — a legacy these students now have the opportunity to join. As semifinalists, their applications have advanced through national review and are under consideration by host countries, with final decisions expected this spring.

Here’s a closer look at their proposed projects and what this recognition means to them.

Dera Driscoll

If selected, Driscoll would serve as an English Teaching Assistant in Taiwan, building on prior teaching experience and language study. Having previously taught middle school students through Earlham’s Studies in Cross-Cultural Education (SICE) program in Japan, they were drawn to the Taiwan program for its immersive classroom experience and its alignment with their long-term goal of becoming a college professor. Driscoll brings both Mandarin experience from high school and a passion for mentorship, hoping to positively impact students while developing their own teaching skills.

Their interest in Taiwan grew from a combination of academic preparation and personal curiosity. Through extracurricular work with local middle school students in the SPARK club and a desire to engage with new cultures, Driscoll saw the Fulbright program as a chance to continue teaching abroad while deepening their global perspective. They are particularly excited to live in Taiwan independently, explore its culture, and gain firsthand experience navigating a new educational environment.

Reflecting on their journey, Driscoll emphasizes the role of Earlham faculty and mentors who supported them along the way, including advisors in Japanese studies and mathematics.

“Their guidance has pushed me to grow academically and personally,” Driscoll says. “I hope to pay it forward one day by mentoring and recommending students for opportunities like Fulbright, just as I was supported.”

Jacob Gurt

Gurt has been named a Fulbright semifinalist to pursue a Master of Arts in Linguistics at the University of Birmingham in England, where he plans to research the language of Jewish communities in medieval Spain. His proposed research is entitled “Prestige Hierarchies in the Romance Vernaculars of Jewish Scribes in the Crown of Aragon and Kingdom of Navarre, 14th-15th Century.”

Before the expulsions of Jews from Spain in 1492, Jewish and non-Jewish neighbors across Iberia often spoke the same Romance languages, but subtle differences in vocabulary and style may reveal how language reflected social status, identity, and power. By studying thousands of archival documents from Zaragoza and other cities, Jacob hopes to better understand how language shaped — and was shaped by — Jewish life in the region.

His proposed project brings together longstanding interests in heritage languages, Jewish history, and Spanish linguistics. Currently teaching English in Spain while gathering archival data, Gurt hopes to continue his research at an institution that is a hub for scholarship on minority Romance languages and Judeo-Spanish.

“It’s an exciting opportunity to tell stories that aren’t widely known and to explore how language carries memory, identity, and change,” he says.

Gurt credits his language study and faculty mentorship at Earlham for preparing him to work across Spanish, Latin, and Catalan sources and to pursue research abroad. If selected, he looks forward to collaborating with scholars in the U.K., deepening his research, and helping bring greater attention to the histories preserved in these remarkable documents.

Reba McGloughlin

McGloughlin has been named a Fulbright semifinalist to pursue a Master of Science in World Heritage Management and Conservation at the University College Dublin in Ireland. The program blends cultural and natural preservation with conflict resolution and hands-on site management. She is particularly drawn to the program’s focus on protecting religious minority heritage and exploring how communities, governments, and conservationists collaborate to maintain historical sites. Through internships and archival work, McGloughlin has long been committed to preserving cultural and religious history, and this program offers a unique opportunity to apply that passion on an international scale.

Both personal and academic experiences have shaped her interest in heritage and preservation. Growing up as a fourth-generation Irish-American, McGloughlin has been inspired by her family history and her studies in peace and global studies and religion at Earlham. Travel experiences — including a recent study trip to Jordan — exposed her to the intersection of history, community, and governance in preserving cultural sites, reinforcing her desire to engage in heritage work abroad.

Being named a semifinalist is both exciting and affirming for McGloughlin. “It feels like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and outside confirmation of the work I’ve been doing,” she says. She hopes to fully immerse herself academically, professionally, and personally, adding her own story to the global narratives she studies while gaining skills that will support her long-term goal of becoming an archivist and cultural preservation specialist.

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About Earlham College 

Earlham College and Earlham School of Religion foster a collaborative learning community that inspires and motivates students with transformative opportunities and experiences so they can become catalysts for good in a changing world. Located in Richmond, Indiana, Earlham is one of U.S. News & World Report’s Top 100 national liberal arts colleges and offers one of the top 20 classroom experiences in the nation, according to the Princeton Review.