Santa Clara Senior Awarded 2025 Fulbright; Two Alumnae Named Alternates
SANTA CLARA, Calif., June 4, 2025 — Ariana Yamasaki ’25 has been selected for a Fulbright U.S. Student Program English Teaching Assistantship (ETA) in Germany.
The ETA program aims to strengthen educational and cultural relationships between the United States and host countries. Fulbright ETA participants teach English language and American culture at all levels of education, and facilitate projects that help students develop into global citizens.
Yamasaki developed a deep appreciation for Germany’s traditions and way of life at an early age as a student at the German International School of Silicon Valley. The school’s bilingual environment and international community inspired her to embrace the language and culture of the country. As a high school student, she spent a year in Germany and earned her Abitur (German high school diploma).
“I’m honored and incredibly grateful to receive a Fulbright,” said Yamasaki. “This opportunity allows me to combine my love for Germany and the language with international relations. I am forever grateful to my parents for sending me to a German International School. While they do not speak German, they supported me throughout my education. ”
She has distinguished herself as a leader and scholar throughout her time at Santa Clara University. She served as a student ambassador for the College of Arts and Sciences, twice co-chaired SCU’s Model United Nations program, co-chaired the Model United Nations Far West 74th Conference on the Commission on the Status of Women, and was a German language tutor at the Drahmann Center. In fall 2024, she represented the University as a Panetta Institute for Public Policy Congressional Intern, gaining experience in federal legislative processes while serving in the Office of Congress member John Garamendi. Throughout the winter and spring quarters, she interned with Congress member Ro Khanna.
“Working with Ariana on SCU’s Model UN team, I saw firsthand her intellect, curiosity, and commitment to global engagement,” said Kenneth Faulve-Montojo, teaching professor of political science. “Being named a Fulbright student is a well-deserved honor—and just the beginning of the impact she’ll make in the world.”
Yamasaki aspires to a career in international relations, possibly with the U.S. Department of State, with a focus on the United States’ relationship with its European partners. After completing the 10-month program next June, she will move to Washington, D.C., where she has been accepted into Georgetown University’s Master of Arts in German and European Studies program.
About The Fulbright Program
The Fulbright U.S. Student Program awards approximately 2,200 grants annually in all fields of study. Recent graduates and graduate students undertake international graduate study, advanced research, university teaching, and primary and secondary teaching worldwide. Founded in 1946, the Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.
About Santa Clara University
Founded in 1851, Santa Clara University sits in the heart of Silicon Valley—the world’s most innovative and entrepreneurial region. The University’s stunningly landscaped 106-acre campus is home to the historic Mission Santa Clara de Asís. Ranked among the top 15 percent of national universities by U.S. News & World Report, SCU has among the best four-year graduation rates in the nation and is rated by PayScale in the top 1 percent of universities with the highest-paid graduates. SCU has produced elite levels of Fulbright Scholars as well as four Rhodes Scholars. With undergraduate programs in arts and sciences, business, and engineering, and graduate programs in six disciplines, the curriculum blends high-tech innovation with social consciousness grounded in the tradition of Jesuit, Catholic education. For more information, see www.scu.edu.
Media Contact
Lisa Robinson | SCU Media Communications | lrobinson2@scu.edu | 408-551-3601