Syracuse Sun

Two Syracuse University students have been named as student cultural ambassadors through the U.S.-UK Fulbright Commission’s UK Summer Institute program.

They are Keona Bukhari-Adams ’27, a psychology and neuroscience major in the College of Arts and Sciences, and Adalys Sanchez ’26, an earth sciences major and women and gender studies minor in the College of Arts and Sciences and a member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program.

The Fulbright UK Summer Institutes are fully funded three- to four-week summer study programs for first- and second-year U.S. undergraduates. The Summer Institutes are made possible through generous donations from private individuals and through partnerships with some of the top universities in the UK. Participants are selected based on leadership skills, academic achievement, character, adaptability and ambassadorial qualities, as well as demonstrated interest in the UK and its culture.

Selection is highly competitive; only 36 students from the U.S. were chosen as recipients this year. The first two Syracuse students to receive Fulbright UK Summer Institute awards studied in the UK in 2016 and 2017. Four students received the award in 2018.

“The Fulbright UK Summer Institutes program is one of the most competitive programs to which Center for Fellowship and Scholarship Advising (CFSA) helps first- and second-year students apply,” says Melissa Welshans, assistant director of CFSA. “Adalys and Keona were selected because they embody the academic excellence and ambassadorial spirit that this program seeks to cultivate among emerging leaders. We are so proud of them and know they will be excellent representatives of Syracuse and the U.S. during their time in the UK.”

Bukhari-Adams will study at the Glasgow School of Art and the University of Strathclyde in Scotland, in a program focused on technology, innovation and creativity. Sanchez will study at the University of Exeter in England in a program focused on global sustainability and climate change issues.

During the summer institute, Bukhari-Adams hopes to explore the intersection between medicine and technology. “I want to learn how these two industries have collectively revolutionized global medicine,” she says. Bukhari plans to attend medical school and embark on a career as a neurosurgeon or pediatric oncologist. “I hope that this experience will serve as a stepping stone in achieving the extraordinary and pushing the boundaries for greatness in the world of medicine,” she says.

Bukhari-Adams is also excited to make her first international trip and to learn more about a different culture. She developed an interest in anthropology after taking a class with Professor Azra Hromadžić in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. “I am very excited to explore Scotland from an anthropological perspective,” she says.

Sanchez is passionate about the intersection of environmental justice and marginalized communities. “Through my academic journey, I want to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to advocate for environmental justice as a lawyer,” she says. “I hope attending this program in Exeter helps me learn how to do this from a diverse perspective.”

She plans to explore the UK’s climate change research and sustainability practices and to integrate these insights into initiatives back in the U.S. “I am also looking forward to sharing my past research experiences with coastal communities and water quality with experts in Exeter who do similar work,” Sanchez says. “I think that participating in this program will help me become a better advocate for a healthier planet, an advocate who is aware of the major impact of climate change and practices sustainability in a way that creates social equity.”

This will also be Sanchez’s first time traveling internationally. “I’m excited for the experience as a whole—the opportunity to see all the historical sights of Exeter, being in Central London for the first week of the program and just getting to explore and meet new people.”