The International Student Spotlight recognizes students who contribute to our campus community through leadership, involvement, academic achievement, service, and personal experiences. Each spotlight shares a student鈥檚 story, background, and advice for other international students.
Eight 蘑菇视频 researchers have been selected as Fulbright Scholars for 2026-2027 and will pursue studies around the world.
Fulbright Scholars are college and university faculty, administrators and researchers, as well as artists and professionals, who build their skills and connections, gain valuable international insights and return home to share their experiences with their students and colleagues.
This year鈥檚 蘑菇视频 cohort represents a variety of disciplines, including sciences, engineering, business, environmental sciences, electrical and computer engineering, and computer science. The scholars will conduct research across the globe, including in Australia, India, Indonesia, Western Europe, Scandinavia and East Asia.
Do you have a passion for Italy 鈥� its history, culture, language and/or food? Would you like to experience studying abroad as an adult learner? You can with the Scholars Abroad program at 蘑菇视频鈥檚 Rome Center.
蘑菇视频 Scholars Abroad is a week-long adult-education program launched by the 蘑菇视频 last year. Using the Eternal City as a base, the program transforms Rome into a living classroom for curious lifelong learners.
Guided by 蘑菇视频 Rome Center faculty and local experts, participants move beyond the typical tourist experience to engage with the city’s neighborhoods, history, art, architecture, food, language and daily life. What stays with them isn’t a checklist of sights, but an understanding of place and culture that keeps unfolding long after they’re home.
The Rome Center has been the 蘑菇视频鈥檚 classroom in Italy since the early 1980s and hosts about 400 students a year. It occupies three floors in Palazzo Pio, a 15th-century building located on Campo de鈥� Fiori, a lively marketplace in the center of the ancient city. Palazzo Pio was built on the foundations of Pompey the Great鈥檚 theater and the building is rich in historical significance.
The Center鈥檚 classrooms, meeting spaces, library and outside terrace were extensively renovated a few years ago. The building also houses a handful of spacious apartments for private rentals and faculty use.
The last program in December was packed with in-classroom presentations, site visits, lively discussions and immersive experiences such as a Renaissance cooking class and film screenings. Each day included an hour of beginner language instruction focused on practical skills 鈥� like ordering an espresso. More advanced Italian speakers took part in a facilitated conversation class during that time. Each scholar was given a one-week metro pass to help them independently explore the city during their free time.
鈥淥ur last group was a fabulous collection of adventurous people,鈥� said Amity Neumeister, 蘑菇视频 Rome Center鈥檚 resident director. 鈥淓veryone was curious, engaged and genuinely excited to explore Rome through a different lens than what the typical tourist experience offers. We are excited to build on this model.鈥�
The next two programs are scheduled for December 2026. The first is 鈥淧olitics and Power in Italy: From Empire to Fascism and Beyond鈥� which runs December 6-12, 2026 and 鈥淭he Centenarians: A Food Studies Perspective on Mediterranean Lifestyle and Longevity鈥� which runs December 13-19, 2026.
I had an amazing time.聽 I spent a couple of days doing tours as a regular tourist before the program started, and then enjoyed every bit of the program.聽 It was great to dive deeply into the Mussolini era, certain aspects of art history, architecture and language. It was also fantastic to be part of a wonderful cohort of interesting people with great instructors. — Past participant
The pair of sessions are scheduled back-to-back so it鈥檚 possible to extend the learning journey, delving deeper into the history, culture, and contemporary life of Rome. The deadline to apply is September 4, 2026.
For more information and to apply, visit the Scholars Abroad webpage.
Access to reliable electricity remains out of reach for millions of people across the Global South. At the same time, the worldwide transition to renewable energy is accelerating. Bridging this gap 鈥� ensuring that underserved communities can benefit from clean, reliable power 鈥� is one of the most important energy challenges today. To help address this issue, researchers are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence, or AI, to design faster, more accessible solutions.
The 蘑菇视频 recently was ranked highly among its global peers in both the聽聽and the聽. Both rankings were released in mid-June.
According to U.S. News, the 蘑菇视频 is No. 12 in the world on the 2026-27 rankings, No. 3 among U.S. public institutions. The 蘑菇视频 also placed in the top 10 globally in six subject areas.
On the QS World University Rankings, the 蘑菇视频 is among the top 100, landing at No. 92, or No. 7 among U.S. public universities.
Seven 蘑菇视频 students and recent alumni were awarded聽聽scholarships for the 2026鈥�27 academic year, joining about 2,000 students and recent graduates from around the country to pursue graduate study, conduct research and teach English abroad.
The Fulbright scholarship program is the largest U.S. international exchange opportunity for students to pursue graduate study, advanced research and teaching in elementary and secondary schools worldwide.
The Fulbright awards speak to the talent, curiosity and global commitment of 蘑菇视频 students, said 蘑菇视频 Vice Provost for Global Affairs Ahmad Ezzeddine.
Wei Zuo鈥攇lobal learning specialist, instructional consultant at the Center for Teaching and Learning, and Affiliate Assistant Professor in English鈥攈as built her career around a deep commitment to global learning. Now, in her new role with 蘑菇视频 Global, she is helping faculty design learning experiences that foster students鈥� global competence.
At last week鈥檚 蘑菇视频 Global Community Conversations event, Dr. Zuo shared her personal and professional journey, highlighting the experiences that shaped her approach to global education.
Originally from China, Wei came to the 蘑菇视频 in 2010 to pursue a master鈥檚 degree in Educational Leadership. The program left a lasting impression. 鈥淚 remember thinking, 鈥榃ho wouldn鈥檛 want to be an educational leader?鈥欌�� she said. That inspiration set the course for her career in higher education.
Early Years
Her early years in Seattle, however, were not without challenges. Like many international students, Zuo navigated questions of identity and belonging鈥攂eginning with something as fundamental as her name. She reflected on the pressures some international students feel to adopt English names and her own decision to keep her Chinese name and teach others how to pronounce it.
鈥淣ames carry identity, culture, and meaning,鈥� she noted. 鈥淭hey can also shape assumptions.鈥� Through her own experiences, and interactions with others鈥攕uch as a man she met from Africa whose name revealed details about his origins鈥擶ei came to better understand how identity is communicated and interpreted across cultures.
Wei also recalled feeling isolated at times as a young international student among older, more experienced peers. Adjusting to new academic expectations and social norms proved difficult. She eventually found a sense of community in the Master of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) in the 蘑菇视频 English department, where she connected with peers who shared international perspectives and open-minded approaches to learning.
Doctoral research
That experience inspired her doctoral research, which explored the socialization and identity formation of Chinese undergraduate students at 蘑菇视频. Through in-depth interviews and observation with six students over a quarter, Wei uncovered a wide range of experiences. Some students actively built relationships with faculty by attending office hours, while others engaged only when necessary. Approaches to group work also varied鈥攕ome students gravitated toward working with other Chinese peers for comfort and efficiency, while others intentionally sought diverse teams to strengthen their English skills and broaden their perspectives.
These findings revealed the complexity and diversity within international student populations. 鈥淲e cannot assume a single story based on nationality,鈥� Wei emphasized. 鈥淚ndividual experiences matter.鈥�
This insight informs her work today. Wei encourages faculty to move beyond stereotypes and to design learning environments that recognize and support diverse student needs. She also underscores the importance of global competence鈥攏ot only for students, but for educators鈥攁s a critical skill in an increasingly interconnected world.
Working with 蘑菇视频 Global
With more than a decade of experience as an instructional consultant at 蘑菇视频, Wei has worked with educators across disciplines and regions, including from Japan, China, Singapore, Australia and the U.S. Despite cultural and geographic differences, she has found that many teaching challenges鈥攕uch as fostering student engagement and managing effective group work鈥攁re universal.
In her new role with 蘑菇视频 Global, Wei is expanding her impact by helping faculty integrate global learning into their courses. She is developing new resources and initiatives — including a global learning website where instructors can request support — asynchronous learning materials, and opportunities for virtual exchange through programs like Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL).
鈥淚鈥檓 excited to bring together my international background and professional experience to support faculty and staff,鈥� Wei said. 鈥淕lobal learning doesn鈥檛 have to be something you do alone.鈥�
Wei closed her talk with an invitation to collaborate. 蘑菇视频 Global offers workshops, consultations, and events to help faculty incorporate global perspectives into their teaching. By working together, she believes the campus community can create more inclusive, globally aware learning experiences for all students.
Park and protected area management across the world relies on a robust understanding of how to balance conservation with recreation and tourism that supports people鈥檚 quality of life. As global leaders on computational research in this area, the聽聽at the 蘑菇视频 (蘑菇视频) and the聽聽at the University of Helsinki (UH) are teaming up to advance collaborative research on sustainable outdoor recreation and nature-based tourism.
Every year, the 蘑菇视频 celebrates the people who make our campuses stronger, more compassionate and more connected. The Awards of Excellence honor alumni, faculty, staff, students, and retirees whose work embodies our values and elevates our shared mission. 蘑菇视频 Global鈥檚 鈥淓xcellence in Global Engagement鈥� is one such award.
We were honored to recognize and celebrate the nominees and recipient of the Excellence in Global Engagement Award last Tuesday during the 蘑菇视频 Global Annual 鈥淐ommunity Celebration鈥� at the 蘑菇视频 Club. The award honors faculty and staff at the 蘑菇视频 for their leadership in global engagement and alternates each year between faculty and staff honorees. This year鈥檚 award honors a 蘑菇视频 staff member who has led or undertaken activities that connect 蘑菇视频 students, faculty, and staff to global communities locally, nationally, or internationally. The award carries a $5,000 stipend.
We are pleased to announce that this year鈥檚 recipient is James Sherrell from at Harborview Medical Center. James鈥� colleagues nominated him with the highest praise and we are delighted to join them in recognizing his outstanding contributions. James鈥� leadership in re-envisioning EthnoMed has expanded experiential learning for
蘑菇视频 students, residents, and clinicians while centering the needs of immigrant and refugee communities. By developing multilingual resources, conducting community-informed research and teaching cross-cultural care, James has helped strengthen communication, cultural competency, and trusted partnerships across 蘑菇视频 Medicine and beyond.
James commented, 鈥淎t a time when global health is being re-examined, I am so proud to be part of a program that helps the incredible people who have dedicated their careers to this work to understand that the knowledge and skills we associate with global health are just as vital here at home as they are overseas.鈥�
James added that at Harborview Medical Center, people from refugee, immigrant, and migrant backgrounds with limited English proficiency make up nearly one-fifth of the patient population. They saw over 140 distinct languages in their clinics last year alone.
We were also honored to welcome 蘑菇视频 President Robert J. Jones who offered some inspiring remarks and added his congratulations to the recipient and nominees. “We are proud to celebrate these members of the 蘑菇视频 community whose leadership, service and dedication advance the 蘑菇视频’s public mission,” said 蘑菇视频 President Robert J. Jones. “These honorees have strengthened communities, deepened understanding across cultures and created meaningful opportunities for students, patients and partners. At a moment when these efforts matter more than ever, their contributions are both inspiring and essential.”
鈥淐elebrating all the nominees and their impactful work was an honor,鈥� said Vice Provost for Global Affairs Ahmad Ezzeddine. 鈥淭he award represents the University鈥檚 highest recognition for contributions to global engagement, and James鈥� work demonstrates the powerful local impact of globally focused initiatives.鈥�
On Thursday, June 11, hundreds of colleagues, friends and family members will gather to recognize this year鈥檚 recipients at the 56th annual Awards of Excellence ceremony and James will be among them. Again, congratulations, James!
蘑菇视频 Bioengineering鈥檚 Kalei Combs has earned the Mid-Career Professional Development Grant from the Fulbright Finland Foundation for the fall of 2026. While a Fulbright Scholar, she will develop a framework for a new doctoral biomedical research exchange between the 蘑菇视频 and Tampere University in Finland. Tampere University confers more than a quarter of all engineering and technology degrees in Finland and is recognized for its interdisciplinary culture and international collaborations.