RIC’s Fulbright Semifinalists

Rhode Island College is proud to congratulate Aida Menacho ’25 and Autumn Messier ’24 for achieving semifinalist standing in the 2025 Fulbright U.S. Student Program.

This prestigious, merit-based award sponsored by the U.S. government allows students, scholars, teachers and professionals to study, teach or conduct research in various countries around the world and offers unparalleled opportunities. Both Menacho and Messier have chosen to teach English abroad.

Menacho, age 27, a theatre performance major, applied for an English teaching assistantship in Spain.

A first-generation college graduate, whose parents are natives of Bolivia, Menacho chose Spain as her host country, she said, because Bolivia and Spain have a shared language and history.

“Bolivia was colonized by Spain,” she explains, “so, a lot of Spain’s culture is reflected in Bolivian culture. I’d like to investigate the mother traditions of Spain. I’m also looking forward to learning the tango and flamenco,” she says, with a smile.

Messier, age 24, a secondary education major with a concentration in English, applied for an English teaching assistantship in Bulgaria.

Currently a high school English teacher at Davies Career & Technical High School in Lincoln, Messier works with multilingual students and notes that over six different languages can be heard in her classroom.

“I love learning from my students,” says Messier. “I applied for the Fulbright because I want to expand my horizons and gain international teaching experience. I love learning both the languages and cultures of other people.”

In achieving semifinalist status, these women have stood out among a competitive applicant field, having their candidacies recommended for further consideration by their host countries. Final determinations will be made in April.

RIC’s Fulbright Program Advisor Professor Vince Bohlinger, noted, “It’s thrilling to see our wonderful and well-deserving applicants achieve such a great distinction. This year – like every year – we have fantastic applicants who don’t always get this far in the process. Yet they all learn a lot about who they are and what they want in life. Of the two applicants this year who didn’t make it to the semifinalist stage, one was admitted to their top-choice graduate school in the UK and the other is securing a position teaching English in South Korea – the very things they were aiming to do with their Fulbright.”

Any RIC student interested in applying for a Fulbright is encouraged to check out the Fulbright website and/or contact RIC’s Fulbright Program Advisor Professor Vincent Bohlinger at vbohlinger@ric.edu. Bohlinger guides applicants through the entire application process, organizes interviews with the Campus Committee and writes a letter of recommendation on behalf of the applicants.