03/11/2025
One Fulbright fellowship is the chance of a lifetime. Winning two Fulbrights to send recent Red Dragon grads to the same country is one for the SUNY Cortland record book.
That’s the unexpected situation that Emma Efing ’24 and Kayla Melita ’24 found themselves in when both headed to Spain after earning the prestigious travel grants.
Efing, who dual majored in adolescence education in social studies and history, received her Fulbright to teach English in Spain during the 2024-25 academic year. Melita, with a bachelor’s in adolescence education: English, is creating a school newspaper at one of the secondary schools where she works as an English teaching assistant.
“In previous years, two SUNY Cortland students have been awarded Fulbright grants, though their assignments took them to different countries,” said Daniela Baban Hurrle, director of international programs. “This year is particularly exciting, as for the first time, we have two SUNY Cortland students receiving this prestigious award to complete their projects in the same country.”
They are among a total of 8,000 people on average from the United States and more than 160 other countries to receive the honor. Only about 1,600 of those are granted to U.S. students.
Efing said she enjoyed teaching and saw the Fulbright program as a chance to grow as an educator while experiencing a culture in Spain that she already had some familiarity with after three visits with her family.
“So far, this experience has been absolutely amazing in so many ways,” Efing said.
As part of the program, she is an English teaching assistant in a secondary school in A Coruña, Spain, also helping teach English, art, technology, religion, biology and chemistry classes.
“I love the school and the students that I am with and love being able to form connections even with a language barrier. This experience has definitely solidified for me my love of teaching and so for me, even the ‘work’ aspect is fun. Aside from the teaching, I have a lot of free time to travel around Spain and Europe and to get to know my city better. It has been so much fun to explore.”
Melita began her application in April of 2023, working on it through the summer and fall semester. She thought teaching English as a second language would be an exceptional chance to expand her knowledge of culture and education. She finally found out she’d been chosen in between classes her last semester at Cortland.
“You never actually think you’re going to get it, so when I did, I was incredibly surprised and honestly really proud of myself,” Melita said.
“I was drawn to Spain not only because of its beautiful culture and landscape, but I had a Spanish teacher in high school who showed me compassion at a time when I really needed it. I chose Spain to give back the compassion he had given me.”
She currently is living in Oviedo, Spain, teaching at two secondary schools in Mieres, a nearby town.
“I have met the most amazing people whom I have been able to share this experience with,” Melita said. “I try to travel and see more parts of the world on my days off. In the short time I have been here, I have made wonderful friends and created so many memories.”
Fulbright grants, established in 1946 through federal legislation, are chosen through a merit-based process. Among the ranks of Fulbright alums are 62 Nobel Prize recipients, 80 MacArthur Foundation Fellows, 89 Pulitzer Prize winners, and 42 current or former heads of state or government.
Since 2018, Hurrle said the university has actively featured and promoted its Fulbright award recipients who have been awarded grants in Germany, India, Russia and Spain.
“This continued success underlines the outstanding academic and professional achievements of our students,” she said.
Applicants interested in the university’s endorsement for the program should contact the Associate Dean of Arts and Sciences during the Spring term. The application is typically due the second Tuesday in October.