Three More Lebanon Valley College Scholars Named Fulbrights; A Fourth Named as Alternate

Seventeen LVC students and alumni were named Fulbright Finalists in the past eight years.

by Tom Hanrahan

Annville, PA (04/25/2023) — Dr. Philip Benesch, chair of social sciences, associate professor of politics, and director of external scholarships and fellowships, announced that Hannah Alvarnaz '23, Trevor Hamilton '23, and Maggie Kergick '19 were named Fulbright Finalists, and Ariana Genna '23 was named an alternate. LVC's last alternate, Matthew Torrence '19, was later named a finalist and spent a year as an English Teaching Assistant in Malaysia.

Maggie Kergick '19, an English major as an LVC undergraduate who graduated summa cum laude, was selected as an English Teaching Assistant to the Slovak Republic for the 2023-24 academic year.

Kergick is an 8th and 9th grade English Language Arts teacher in the Mahanoy Area School District who also acts as the assistant director for the Theater Arts Program. She is co-advisor of the school's Diversity Club and has taught in an after-school program for three years, leading elementary school students in art and theater activities.

Trevor Hamilton '23, a political science and global studies double major with a minor in sociology and German concentration, was selected as an English Teaching Assistant to the Republic of North Macedonia for the 2023-24 academic year.

Hamilton, a two-year member of the College's men's basketball team named to the Middle Atlantic Conference's All-Academic Team twice, was named LVC's Outstanding Student in German. He lived in Tbilisi, Georgia, as a child and at LVC, studied in Maastricht, The Netherlands, and spent a semester interning with a member of the U.S. Congress in Washington, D.C., through the College's study-away program there. In February, Hamilton presented research at the National Political Science Conference, organized by Pi Sigma Alpha, in Washington, D.C.

Hannah Alvarnaz '23, a political science and global studies double major, was selected for an Open Study/Research Award to study in the Republic of Kosovo. She has elected to decline the award to pursue other opportunities.

Alvarnaz's academic achievements are impressive, including induction into four academic honor societies: Phi Sigma Iota (International Honor Society for the Department of Languages), Sigma Alpha Pi (National Honor Society of Leadership and Success), Pi Sigma Alpha (politics), and Sigma Iota Rho (promotes and rewards scholarship and service among students and practitioners of international studies, international affairs, and global studies). Alvarnaz is a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Teaching Fellow. She also received LVC's Outstanding Student in French Award.

Ariana Genna '23, a political science and social justice & civic engagement double major, was selected as a Fulbright/America for Bulgaria Foundation English Teaching Assistant Award Alternate.

In March, Genna, one of the College's distinguished Allwein Scholars, presented a conference paper, "West Virginia v EPA," at the New York State Political Association. She will present a version of the paper at the College's Annual Inquiry Symposium on April 27. Genna serves as a legislative fellow for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives this semester, and two drafts of her original legislation are being considered for further action.

The Fulbright competition is administered at Lebanon Valley College by Dr. Philip Benesch. There will be a Fulbright Information session this Friday at 3 p.m. in the Bishop Library Atrium. Dr. Benesch can be contacted at benesch@lvc.edu by students interested in applying to the Fulbright Program or any other national or international fellowships and scholarships.

About the Fulbright Program

The Fulbright Program was established over 75 years ago to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. While the primary source of funding for the Fulbright Program is an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, it benefits from additional support from foreign partner governments, non-governmental organizations, private organizations, corporate partnerships, and individual donors. Importantly, U.S. and foreign host institutions provide support as well.

Fulbright alumni work to make a positive impact on their communities, sectors, and the world and have included 41 heads of state or government, 62 Nobel Laureates, 89 Pulitzer Prize winners, 78 MacArthur Fellows, and countless leaders and changemakers who carry forward the Fulbright mission of enhancing mutual understanding.

View more information about the Fulbright Program.

About Lebanon Valley College

Lebanon Valley College, founded in 1866, offers bachelor's degrees in more than 50 majors; master's degrees in accounting (MBA 3+1), applied kinesiology, athletic training, business administration, clinical exercise physiology, clinical mental health counseling, education, intelligence and security studies, music education, school counseling, science in STEM education, speech-language pathology, and sport performance; a doctoral degree in physical therapy; ACT 48 continuing education for educator credits; and certificates in comprehensive curriculum & assessment for PreK-12, healthcare management, integrative STEM education, leadership & ethics, marketing, modern band, online teaching & learning, project management, social, emotional, & behavioral wellness, sport enhancement, supply chain management & logistics, and trauma-informed counseling. Located eight miles from Hershey, Pennsylvania, this college of 1,600 undergraduate and 400+ graduate students produces alumni who attend prestigious graduate and professional schools and are employed by top companies and school districts.

Thirty-one percent of our students are first generation (40% of first-year class), 21% of fall 2022 first-year students were Pell-eligible, and 100% of the fall 2021 incoming class received grant or scholarship aid from LVC. More than 35% of our students participate on our 27 NCAA Division III athletic teams or eSports teams, and, our students volunteer more than 20,000 hours of community service during the academic year.