For Allison Freligh, a fall 2025 graduate from Warner Robins, Georgia, with a degree in international affairs, a potential ETA opportunity in Germany would be helpful preparation for her desired career as a Foreign Service officer. Freligh has always had an interest in politics. Mentorship from political science and international affairs faculty members Dr. Raluca Viman-Miller and Dr. Jon Miner, her Model United Nations faculty adviser, has helped her hone in on that vision.

"They took the love I had for political science and made it feel like a much more attainable career," Freligh said.

Thanks to the encouragement of Bart Wisniewski, lecturer of German, to apply for Fulbright and the assistance of Hightower in the application process, Freligh is one step closer to gaining invaluable experience overseas.

"It was such a far-fetched dream in the early stages, and now that I'm a semifinalist, it doesn't even seem real," Freligh said. "It wouldn't have happened without their help."

Freligh has served as a Language Lab tutor for German language courses at UNG, and she is a previous Panhellenic president and Delta Zeta vice president of recruitment. Her time inside the classroom and outside of it have her feeling ready for what comes next.

"In college, you get faced with so many challenges, and you have to figure them out as you go," Freligh said. "UNG has taught me how important having a good support system is. I had all these people in my corner cheering me on, even when I didn't think I was capable."

Brianna Litz, a fall 2025 graduate from Cumming, Georgia, with a degree in modern languages with a Spanish language and literature concentration, is seeking to be an ETA in Spain. She has been a Language Lab tutor for Spanish courses for three years. Now, she is hoping to assist a new group of students abroad.

"I love the idea that through me teaching a second language, students will be able to communicate with the world around them more than they were able to before," Litz said.

Litz was a member of UNG's Honors Program and wrote her Honors thesis as a comparative study on violence against women in Mexico and the United States. She has previously studied abroad in France, Germany, Italy, and Spain as a UNG student. Litz was also a founder and president of the UNG Spanish Club for students.

Hightower; Dr. Anastasia Lin, NCS director; and Dr. Brittany Barron, NCS coordinator, mentored Litz through her Fulbright application.

"They helped me understand how best to market myself and my accomplishments," Litz said. "They helped me realize everything I have done while at UNG, and that strengthened my application."

Barron said UNG's students continue to have impressive results in applying for major awards.

"It's exciting to see such a strong group of students pursuing Fulbright this year," Barron said. "Our students are passionate about language learning, teaching and cross-cultural exchange, which reflects the kind of initiative and leadership we strive to foster at UNG."

Other Fulbright semifinalists from UNG include the following:

• Ryan Gentry, a senior from Buford, Georgia, pursuing a degree in psychology, is seeking to be an ETA in Mongolia.
• Guadalupe Guzman, a 2024 alumna from Oakwood, Georgia, who earned a degree in East Asian studies, is seeking to be an ETA in Brazil.
• Madison Juarez-Lopez, a senior from Lawrenceville, Georgia, pursuing a degree in modern languages with a Chinese language and literature concentration, is seeking to be an ETA in Taiwan.
• Naidelinne Martinez-Hernandez, a senior from Jasper, Georgia, pursuing a degree in elementary and special education, is seeking to be an ETA in Spain.
• Brittney Meza, a senior from Gainesville, Georgia, pursuing a degree in computer science, is seeking to be an ETA in Spain.
• Justin Wlosko, a senior from Cumming, Georgia, pursuing a degree in international affairs, is seeking to be an ETA in South Korea.

UNG was recently named a Fulbright top producer for its four alumnae teaching abroad in 2025-26.