UM EIP Student Wins Prestigious Fulbright Summer Institute Scholarship at Roehampton University in the U.K.

COLLEGE PARK, Md., June 16, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Stephanie Graf, a student in the joint Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute (Mtech) and Honors College Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program (EIP), has won a prestigious Fulbright Summer Institute scholarship to study at Roehampton University.

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Graf was selected from a strong applicant pool for the scholarship, through which she will learn about and experience the United Kingdom during a four-week summer program. While there, she will experience a stimulating academic curriculum, investigate concepts of citizenship and identity, improve her presentation and communication skills, and explore the culture of the U.K. with trips around London and Edinburgh. The summer initiative ends with a team project to produce a short film about human rights and citizenship.

"I cannot thank the Fulbright Commission enough for this opportunity to immerse myself in the London culture," says Graf. "I am excited for the opportunity to study abroad because it is something I believe enhances a college education. Today, the world is constantly connected on a global scale, especially in business. As a Fulbright summer program participant, I hope to gain a better understanding of cultures outside of the U.S. and in turn make my business endeavors and myself more relatable to citizens of the world."

Graf hopes to gain greater cultural awareness and explore differences between the U.S. Congress and U.K. Parliament. She was born and raised as the youngest of four children in Nottingham, Maryland. She graduated from Perry Hall High School as a National AP Scholar. In high school, Graf was president of the National Honor Society, an officer of the Tri-M Music Honor Society and captain of the varsity volleyball team. She loves meeting new people through sports and music.

Graf attends the University of Maryland under a Banneker/Key scholarship and studies marketing and operations management. She is the student coordinator for the UM Honors Ambassadors and loves sharing her Maryland experiences with prospective students. At the Fulbright Roehampton University Summer Institute, Graf hopes to learn about the experiences of other Fulbright participants and create new experiences of her own. She believes that cultural immersion is the best way to sculpt her perspective on the world and looks forward to applying her experiences in the global world of business.  

The Fulbright Commission selects participants through a rigorous application and interview process. The commission considers academic excellence, a focused application, a range of extracurricular and community activities, demonstrated ambassadorial skills, a desire to further the Fulbright Program and a plan to give back to the recipient's home country upon returning.

The Fulbright Summer Institute covers a majority of participant costs, including round-trip airfare, tuition and fees, and room and board. It also includes visa processing, a comprehensive pre-departure orientation, in-country enrichment opportunities, a re-entry session and an opportunity to join alumni networks.

The commission supports about 50 U.K. and U.S. Fulbright Summer Institute scholarships for undergraduate students each year. Nearly 300,000 extraordinary women and men from all over the world have had their lives changed as participants in the Fulbright Program. Of these alumni, approximately 15,000 U.K. nationals have studied in the U.S. and nearly 12,000 U.S. nationals in the U.K.

Notable program alumni include: novelist Malcolm Bradbury, politician Liam Byrne, Nobel Prize winner and economist Milton Friedman, politician Charles Kennedy, actor John Lithgow, poet Sylvia Plath, composer Tarik O'Regan, politician Lord William Wallace, novelist Ian Rankin and journalist Vanessa Heaney.

About the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program (www.eip.umd.edu)
The Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program (EIP) provides University of Maryland Honors College freshmen and sophomores with an interdisciplinary, living and learning education to help build the entrepreneurial mindsets, skill sets, and relationships invaluable to developing innovative, impactful solutions to today's problems. A joint program of the Honors College and the Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute (Mtech), EIP has a proven pedigree of successful creativity and innovation-related education and achievement. Mtech has been a leading force in entrepreneurial education and innovation for over 25 years. EIP is based directly on Mtech's groundbreaking Hinman CEOs program, the first undergraduate living-learning entrepreneurship program in the United States.

SOURCE Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute