Madison Cicha, a rower from the University of Louisville, has been granted a scholarship with the Fulbright U.S. Student Program Award. The scholarship will allow Cicha to pursue a master’s degree in conservation and restoration ecology at Radboud University in Nijmegen, Netherlands. The Cherry Hill, N.J. resident has been voted the captain of her team for two consecutive years. Cicha has contributed to her team’s success by being a part of the Varsity Four boat that finished in the ACC Championships’ petite final. She has also helped the Second Varsity Eight boat finish second at the University of Michigan, while helping the Cards clock in third place at Lake Wheeler.
In addition to being an accomplished athlete, Cicha is also an outstanding student. She is majoring in Individualized Studies with a focus on environmental science, has a minor in biology and Arabic, and has been named to the Dean’s List four consecutive years. Cicha is a Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) Scholar Athlete and a member of the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll, a Red and Black Scholar, and a winner of a Summer Research Opportunity Program (SROP) Award.
The Fulbright U.S. Student Program Award is a highly respected scholarship awarded to select individuals by the U.S. government through the Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The program provides grants to American students worldwide to study, conduct research, or teach English abroad. The UofL Fulbright winners were awarded grants to teach English abroad in the Slovak Republic, Spain and Jordan and to do research in Germany and the Netherlands.
The University of Louisville’s Fulbright Program is one of the most prestigious scholarships awarded to students. UofL has had 168 Fulbright winners since 2001, more than any other public higher education institution in Kentucky. The Fulbright Program is part of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and is one of the most respected international scholarship programs in the world. It was established in 1946 by Senator J. William Fulbright, with the goal of promoting mutual understanding between the United States and other countries through educational and cultural exchange programs. The program provides students with the opportunity to experience and contribute to international communities and to increase their knowledge and understanding of other cultures.
