SU names 2025 Fulbright Student Award recipients

SALISBURY, Md. – Two recent graduates from Salisbury University will spend a portion of next year teaching in, learning in, and experiencing cultures abroad.

Andersen Herman ’25, a chemistry major from Fruitland, and Vicky Vazquez ’25, an English for Speakers of Other Languages and Spanish major, were both chosen as recipients of the 2025-26 Fulbright Student Award.

Three additional SU  semifinalists were closed as alternates for the program, including Stephora Alberi ’25, Masha Goncharenko ’25, and Kelly Mitzel ’25.

Herman will conduct research in the Slovak Republic. He is a native of Haiti who immigrated to the U.S. with his family at the age of 12. In the Slovak Republic, he will join researchers from Pavol Jozef Safarik University and the Slovak Academy of Sciences in studying antibacterial photodynamic therapy using metal-organic frameworks to combat antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections and cancer. During his time in Slovakia, Herman will also provide English language tutoring and mentorship at a local high school and collaborate with U.S. Embassy outreach programs. He plans to continue his education after his Fulbright experience, enrolling in a doctoral program at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine or a similar institution.

Vazquez was selected for an English teaching assistantship in Thailand, where she hopes to learn about the nation and its people while gaining language teaching experience. She plans to partner with the U.S. Embassy’s American Corners program, which offers initiatives such as an English camp, speech contest, and spelling bee to benefit Thai students interested in learning the language. After completing her Fulbright assignment, Vazquez plans to return to the Lower Eastern Shore for a year before pursuing a master’s degree in Teaching English as a Second Language at the University of Maryland College Park.