Tenzin Thargay ’14 Receives Fulbright Award and Delivers UMass Commencement Address

Tenzin Thargay, RL Class of 2014, has received a Fulbright U.S. Student Program award to South Korea in political science from the U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. Tenzin will conduct his research at Hanyang University’s Center for Energy Governance and Security as part of a project to examine how political party affiliation influences local attitudes on nuclear energy.

On 11 May, Tenzin will graduate from University of Massachusetts Amherst, completing dual degrees in political science and Chinese language and literature, as a Commonwealth College Honors student. He has earned a certificate in public policy, as well as an International Scholars Program certificate. Tenzin has also been named one of ten recipients of this year’s 21st Century Leader Awards, and he will deliver the student address at the University’s commencement ceremony.

Recipients of Fulbright awards are selected on the basis of academic and professional achievement, as well as record of service and leadership potential in their respective fields. The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government, designed to build lasting connections between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. The Fulbright Program is funded through an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The program operates in more than 160 countries worldwide.

Since its inception in 1946, the Fulbright Program has given more than 380,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists, professionals, and scientists the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas, and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns. Fulbrighters address critical global challenges in all areas while building relationships, knowledge, and leadership in support of the long-term interests of the United States. Fulbright alumni have achieved distinction in many fields, including 59 who have been awarded the Nobel Prize, 82 who have received Pulitzer Prizes, and 37 who have served as a head of state or government.