Fulbright Alum and Gilman Alums Address HBCU Student Participation in International Exchange

Washington, D.C. – Fulbright alumna Ashleigh Brown-Grier and Gilman alumna Stephanie Tilley received a grant from the U.S. Department of State’s Citizen Diplomacy Action Fund HBCU student participation in government-sponsored international exchange programs. In September 2020, the Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs invited U.S. citizen alumni of all U.S. government-sponsored exchange programs, including the Fulbright Program, the Gilman Scholarship, and Cultural and Sports Envoys, to apply for small grants of up to $10,000 as part of the Citizen Diplomacy Action Fund Rapid Response funding opportunity. Exchange alumni from across the United States submitted proposals for public service projects that addressed media literacy education themes, building community resilience, and fostering alumni network development.

Ashleigh Brown-Grier is pursuing a Ph.D. at Howard University in the Higher Education Leadership and Policy Studies program. Her research focus is internationalization at Historically Black Colleges and Universities—specifically international student support. She is the founder and CEO of iHBCUx. Ashleigh was a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) in Malaysia during the 2016-2017 grant year.

Stephanie Tilley is Ph.D. student in the Educational Leadership program with a focus in Higher Education and a Program Coordinator in The Office of International Programs at Prairie View A&M University. She is the Assistant Director of iHBCUx. Stephanie was a fall 2013 Gilman Scholar to Costa Rica.

The International HBCU Xchange pilot (iHBCUx) program will collaborate with the Fulbright, Boren Critical Language Scholarship, Gilman programs, and alumni from the respective exchange programs to conduct targeted outreach and recruitment through culturally relevant presentations, events, and mentoring for HBCU students. iHBCUx will provide support to study abroad advisors at HBCUs. A culminating event will include an iHBCUx 101 Summit open to all HBCUs. The summit will provide sessions for the four international exchange programs and alumni led panels about their experiences abroad. Additionally, the summit will have virtual event booths for Black-owned study abroad programs for students.

Since the close of the competition in November, the U.S. Department of State has funded 38 projects that address issues faced by communities across the United States and around the world with international partners in countries such as Mongolia, Nepal, North Macedonia, and the Philippines. Exchange alumni are contributing to their communities in meaningful ways by sharing media literacy best practices that help mitigate the spread of disinformation, increasing access to virtual and at-home education for youth and their families, protecting the environment, bringing exchange alumni together to create stronger networks, and responding to other community needs. Winners this year include projects supporting mental health training in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, media literacy education in China, and food literacy in Indiana.

“Congratulations to our exchange alumni who have received awards from the Citizen Diplomacy Action Fund to lead public service projects in their communities,” said Matthew Lussenhop, Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. “These alumni will serve diverse communities in the United States and abroad through programs adapted to the realities of COVID-19. We are proud of these citizen diplomats.”

The Citizen Diplomacy Action Fund is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and implemented in partnership with the Partners of the Americas. For more information visit https://alumni.state.gov. For questions on ECA exchange programs, contact ECA-Press@state.gov.

For Media Inquiries please contact:

Rikeshia Davidson

Communications Director

ihbcux@gmail.com

(563)-742-0365