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MSU PLS alum receives Fulbright award

July 8, 2026

Hodzic-Belma.jpgBelma Hodžić earned her bachelor's degrees in World Politics in MSU Political Science, College of Social Science; in Comparative Cultures and Politics in James Madison College, and in the Honors Collegein 2025. She is now among seven students selected by the Fulbright Program as a finalist for the 2026-2027 academic year. 

Her Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship will take place in Türkiye.

"Deciding on Türkiye felt like an easy decision for me. As a Bosnian American, my family and I share a lot of cultural similarities with Turkish traditions, and I wanted to be somewhere that felt similar and different at the same time. Türkiye has also continuously hosted one of the largest refugee populations in the world, largely from Middle Eastern conflicts," Hodžić said.

"I’ve always been interested in migration, immigration, and peace/conflict, so pursuing an ETA opportunity in Türkiye felt like a natural fit. Türkiye also has a very interesting geopolitical and historical role by being the crossroads between Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa, and I wanted to be in an environment where I could not only teach English, but also learn immensely from my students and from the country I'll be living in."

This also will give her an opportunity to advance her own education and career goals, she said. 

"As someone who wants to go into conflict resolution, being an ETA in Türkiye gives me a chance to learn from communities that are shaped by displacement while also working in education. I find that learning within communities instead of studying/researching them is much more meaningful and holistic, so Fulbright seemed like a natural next step for me. I plan on sharing my experiences when I return to the U.S., especially in how the U.S. and Türkiye differ in immigration and refugee settlements, and I hope to carry that with me into my future education and career."

Established in 1946, the Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s premier international academic exchange program. Each year it provides opportunities for exceptional Americans and participants from 160 countries and locations to study, teach and conduct research abroad, advancing knowledge, science and industry through international exchange and collaboration. Fulbright alumni achieve distinction and are recognized as leaders in government, business, science, technology, research, education and the arts.

“Congratulations to the impressive group of MSU scholars and students offered Fulbright Program awards for the coming academic year,” said MSU Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Laura Lee McIntyre. “The inquiry and innovation represented in their projects exemplify the university’s long-standing commitment to global engagement — and to our founding mission to advance knowledge and transform lives.”

Five MSU faculty received Fulbright U.S. Scholars awards for academic year 2026-27. 

The university also has seven students participating in the Fulbright Student Program during the 2026–27 academic year. The following students have been awarded Fulbright English Teaching Assistantships.

  • Catelyn Arnold, B.A. 2026, College of Social Science and Honors College (Korea)
  • Jillian Bonczewski, B.A. 2026, College of Education (Spain)
  • Natalie Harmon, B.A. 2024, James Madison College; M.A. 2026 Carnegie Mellon University (Brazil)
  • Belma Hodžić , B.A. 2025, James Madison College and College of Social Science and Honors College (Türkiye)
  • Hannah Faye Nassar, B.A. 2024, James Madison College and Honors College (Taiwan)
  • David Rabinkov, B.A. 2026, James Madison College and College of Arts and Letters (Azerbaijan)
  • Melissa Rich, master’s student in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, College of Arts and Letters (Montenegro)


Two additional students were named alternates for Fulbright Study/Research Awards:

  • Manvir Bamrah, master’s student in Global Health Studies in the College of Osteopathic Medicine and B.S. 2025, Lyman Briggs College (Malawi)
  • Jovana Nagj, B.A. 2026, James Madison College; B.S. 2026, College of Social Science (Serbia)

Hodžić was nominated for both the Rhodes Scholars and the Marshall Scholarship while undergraduates in the MSU Political Science program. 

Portions of this article previously appeared on the James Madison College website here: https://jmc.msu.edu/news/2026/06/jmc-fulbright-eta and MSUToday here: https://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2026/06/12-msu-scholars-students-named-2026-27-fulbright-finalists