Andover Student Receives Fulbright Fellowship

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Andrew Gatti, a 2010 Connecticut College graduate and resident of Andover, Mass., has been selected to receive a U.S. Fulbright Student Program grant to live, conduct research and teach abroad for an academic year.

Gatti, who majored in international relations at Connecticut College, has been awarded an English Teaching Assistantship to Hungary. He will be working at the Hungarian Fulbright Commission's Education USA Advising Center and at the Jesuit Roma Residential College in Budapest, Hungary.

"Connecticut College students are educated to be active citizens in today's global society, which makes them excellent candidates for Fulbright fellowships," said Connecticut College President Leo I. Higdon Jr. "Nine of our recent graduates are currently teaching and conducting research all over the world as 2012 Fulbright scholars, and I am very proud of our 2013 winners, including Andrew, who will soon join their ranks."

Fulbright fellows receive round-trip transportation to the host country, a living stipend, research allowances and medical insurance. Connecticut College is consistently recognized as a top producer of Fulbright fellows, with 36 winners in seven years.

At Education USA, Gatti will advise Hungarian students interested in pursuing higher education in the U.S. At Roma Residential, he will teach advanced English, establish an English club with a focus on cultural immersion and train and advise students who may qualify as future Fulbright applicants.

Following his graduation in 2010, Gatti joined the Peace Corps and taught English in a rural village of Ukraine, where he was the only American among the village's 2,000 people. After he completed his service in December of 2012, he traveled in the Middle East and Asia.

The Fulbright is a natural next step for Gatti. "I have always been about travel, doing something meaningful with my life and living outside of my comfort zone to discover my potential," he said.

Following his Fulbright fellowship, Gatti hopes to study international relations at the graduate level and continue working and studying abroad.