News & Recipients

Amber's Story

Amber Pirson
Class of Fall 2020
2017 Fulbright UK Summer Institute Study Grant to Bristol

As a freshman, Amber is already building her legacy at USF. She is one of ten recipients of the 2017 Fulbright UK Summer Institute Program study grant to Bristol. Currently, she is attending the program at the University of Bristol, where she studies slavery and the Atlantic heritage.

Amber's journey to the Fulbright UK Summer Institute began before she officially became a student at USF.

"When I visited USF as a senior in high school, I stopped by the Office of National Scholars. They gave me national scholarship information and flyers for the opportunities I should consider applying for," says Amber. "I attended one of the ONS workshops for freshmen and sophomores in my first semester. After the workshop, I emailed Dr. Basu (Director of ONS) and asked to speak with him."

Dr. Basu met with Amber and reviewed her resume, discussed career goals, and encouraged her to continue working on the Fulbright UK Summer Institute application with Ms. Chambers (Associate Director of ONS) and Ms. Williams (political history scholar and mentor). "Through their edits and conferences, they taught me how to concisely convey my interests and goals in essay form," Amber says. She went on to complete two mock interviews with an interview panel via Skype, and received hours of feedback during these practice sessions. "The Office of National Scholars facilitated my self-reflection process immensely, and contributed to better writing and a stronger scholarship application," she says.

Amber is proud of her long-standing involvement with the organization "No More", which advocates against human trafficking and offers philanthropic support to victims.

After graduation, Amber plans to complete a graduate degree in Medical Anthropology (in the United Kingdom or Spain), and later matriculate to medical or physician assistant school. Her dream is to provide medical care to the most vulnerable populations, including victims of human trafficking.

Congratulations, Amber!

Interested in Fulbright UK Summer Institute? Please email Ms. Lauren Chambers for information on the application process: lschumac@honors.usf.edu.