Class of 2026 Mawrters Selected as Fulbright Scholars

Majors: Literatures in English and German 

Hometown: Orinda, CA

Battersby will be an English teaching assistant at two secondary schools in Graz, Austria.

"I’m most looking forward to gaining experience in the classroom," says Battersby. "My time at Bryn Mawr has prepared me well for this position. I was a German TA and a Writing Center tutor and I’m very excited to have the chance to apply the skills I gained here in a new context with a different age group and a different language. I’m also looking forward to learning more about Austrian culture and especially being exposed to new dialects."

Following her year as a USTA, Battersby plans to pursue a master's in English: Literature, Culture and Theory at the University of Sussex in the UK.

Majors: Comparative Literature and Geology 

Hometown: Glendale, WI

Franecki has been assigned to Saxony but won't receive a school assignment until June. In addition to teaching, she hopes to work on a translation of Michael Roes' novel Zeithain and find a publisher for her translation of Herr Moses in Berlin, which she completed last year for her comparative literature thesis.

"While I have previously studied abroad in Germany in high school and interned at Exilarte Center for Banned Music in summer 2025, this time, I am especially looking forward to improving my pedagogy and traveling around the federal states," says Franecki. "If I am not posted to Leipzig, I hope to make a pilgrimage there; Leipzig was the academic seat of my favorite composer, Felix Mendelssohn, who was conductor for the Gewandhaus from 1845-1847."

After her Fulbright, Franecki will pursue a Ph.D. in German at Columbia University and build toward an academic career as a scholar-translator of literature. 

Major: Religion at Haverford 

Minor: Anthropology 

Hometown: Houston, TX

Jacob has been placed in a small town named Samokov at the vocational school for hospitality and tourism.

"My students will primarily be of Roma descent, a minority ethnic group that has had a history of explicit marginalization across Europe," says Jacob. "Roma students have a particularly low level of English proficiency and have been limited in the professions they can enter, one of which is the hospitality and tourism industry. I'm excited to help equip students for a broader vision for their future." 

After her Fulbright, Jacob will begin her Ph.D. in religious studies at the University of Virginia in Fall 2027.