URF Student Spotlight
Madison Lackey graduated from the University of Tennessee in 2023 with a double major in political science and philosophy. She is currently a master's in public policy and administration student and will soon be on her way to teach English at the Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul Letras in Brazil through a Fulbright US Student Grant.
Madison credits her faculty at UT and the staff at Undergraduate Research & Fellowships with encouraging her to apply for a Fulbright and helping her submit the best application possible. The process of reviewing and revising her written statements “taught me a lot about the importance of vulnerability and granting others the space to help you accomplish difficult things.” Previously, she had worked with URF to apply for the Gilman Award, which allowed her to study abroad in Florence, Italy during her junior year. “In my experience, applying for a competitive fellowship, especially as a first-generation student, is incredibly difficult. However, through repeating the process I began to see how much people believed in me and eventually felt relieved of my self-doubt. I found that there is incredible value in allowing others to support you, and would advise any student who is applying for a competitive fellowship to seek assistance!”
