Three students in the Class of 2026 applied for prestigious U.S. Student Fulbright Awards and all three have won: Cole Caven, Madelyn Perz and Grey Smith.

The Student Fulbright Awards are a nationally competitive program offered by the U.S. Department of State. In partnership with more than 140 countries worldwide, the Fulbright program offers global opportunities to advance knowledge and innovation across all academic disciplines.

Among the financial benefits are round-trip transportation to the host country; a stipend broadly based on the cost of living in the host country (room, board and incidental costs); and 12 months of Non-Competitive Eligibility (NCE) hiring status within the federal government for Fulbright alumni.

This fall, Caven is heading to Tajikistan while Perz and Smith are going to Germany. Each of them will teach English and conduct research. 

Caven, from DeLand, majored in International Studies and Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies. He founded Stetson’s campus chapter of the Alexander Hamilton Society to promote student engagement in national security and foreign affairs. He speaks eight languages, and during his time at Stetson, he has traveled to approximately 25 countries, with South Korea set to become his 26th this summer before his Fulbright assignment. Caven’s “mission” is to work for the U.S. government on regional and national security.

Perz, from Gainesville, majored in World Languages & Cultures. She is fluent in German and Spanish, with the “intermediate-to-advanced” ability to speak French and Russian. As a student, she served as a WORLD ambassador for Stetson’s Rinker Center for International Learning, and she twice studied abroad to Italy and Germany. Believing that language learning must be paired with cultural understanding, Perz views English as a “key global tool for fostering intercultural communication.” 

Smith, from St. Augustine, is a Philosophy major. Her focus is public health and food insecurity, and she has worked for two nonprofit organizations near the Stetson campus, SNAP Volusia and The Neighborhood Center. Her goal is to help “lift people out of poverty” by providing access to healthy food and to “help in a time of need so you can get back to your normal life.” Smith credits her Philosophy studies for providing additional perspective.

Congratulations, students!

Note: Distinguished scholarships and fellowships are available to current Stetson students and recent alumni. These opportunities can fund graduate studies, study abroad, research, summer internships, fellowships and other unique experiences. While the opportunities are extremely competitive, Stetson has a strong record of preparing students to be successful applicants, including close collaboration with faculty. For example, Martin Blackwell, PhD, Visiting Professor of History, served as Fulbright Program Advisor during the 2025-2026 academic year. To learn more the opportunities and assistance, see the dedicated website.

-Michael Candelaria