Salve Regina is proud to announce that two students have been selected as finalists for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, Kaelie Piscitello ’24 and John Rangel Marte ’23, ’25 (M). One brand new alumna has also been selected as an alternate, Cailin Martin ’23. Alternates can become finalists if additional funding becomes available in the coming months.
Having three Salve members recognized by the Fulbright U.S. Student Program in one year provides an outstanding recognition of Salve’s commitment to quality education. Each year, more than 2,200 Fulbright U.S. Students conduct research, teach English, or pursue graduate work in schools across the world through Fulbright scholarships. While thousands of people apply, and only a small percentage get selected to receive the scholarships – making the Fulbright program one of the most prestigious scholarships in the U.S.
For information on Salve’s Fulbright finalists and alternate, read more below.
Kaelie Piscitello ’24
Program: Fulbright English Teaching Assistant
Country: Taiwan
Kaelie Piscitello ’24
Piscitello is an elementary education and special education double major with a Sheltered English Language Immersion Endorsement. In her application to Fulbright, she highlighted her prior studies in Mandarin, substantial teaching and tutoring experience, commitment to English language learners, her interest in comparative education, and her study abroad experience. She also has many creative interests and skills in travel writing, piano and more.
“Because of Salve, I know many young teachers in the U.S. and plan to establish a pen pal program between Taiwanese and American schools,” said Piscitello. “I’m looking forward to experiencing teaching on the other side of the world, because I expect it to be pretty different from schools in the U.S.”
Piscitello said that it was studying abroad during her time at Salve that introduced her to the idea of teaching around the world – and the Fulbright opportunity is one she is honored to receive.
“I still haven’t really processed it,” she said. “I knew that Fulbright was a prestigious program, so I was surprised and excited to be selected.”
John Rangel Marte ’23, ’25 (M)
Program: Fulbright English Teaching Assistant
Country: Spain
John Rangel Marte ’23, ’25 (M)
Marte is a graduate of Salve’s business administration program and is currently enrolled in the 5-year MBA program. Marte’s application highlighted his academic accomplishments, his long term commitment to mentoring youth through experiences on and off campus in with Salve’s Pathways program and Fab Newport.
Along with his rich life experience as an immigrant to Rhode Island with family ties to the Dominican Republic, Columbia, and Puerto Rico, Marte also has substantial work experience and experience studying abroad in Barcelona, Spain, where he served as an English teacher in a Spanish middle school classroom.
“The experiences I gained while doing [Pathways and Fab Newport] allowed me to be comfortable talking to students of different age ranges while teaching English in Barcelona, and they will help me throughout the Fulbright program,” Marte explained. “They also pushed me to want to volunteer with local organizations while abroad and try to make a positive impact on the youth there.”
Marte believes that these experiences helped him stand out as a Fulbright recipient, and he has been eagerly awaiting the results of his application for six months.
“It feels good now that the wait is over,” he said. “It was a lot of waiting and hoping for the best, but luckily everything worked out.”
Cailin Martin ’23
Program: Fulbright U.S. Student Study/Research
Country: United Kingdom
Martin graduated from Salve’s environmental studies program in December 2023, and she is also a valedictorian of the Class of 2024 and will be speaking at Commencement in May. She has already been accepted into a master’s program in conservation biology at the University of Kent, and is hoping the Fulbright opportunity will open up. No matter what, though, she is so honored that she made it this far in the competition – beating out thousands of other applications.
Martin’s Fulbright application spoke of her intended research work at the University of Kent through the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology. Her application highlighted, among other things, her work experience and engagement on campus with the Sustainability Committee, Salve’s arboretum, the Academic Center for Excellence’s Writing Center, a summer research program, and her representation of Salve at COP27. She also highlighted her work off campus with the Norman Bird Sanctuary, the Aquidneck Island Food Action Network and the Newport Tree Conservancy.
“A Salve Regina education is a uniquely valuable experience, because our school has a small but powerful community,” Martin said, which reflects in her eyes how she was able to make it so far in the Fulbright selection process. “Salve Regina’s faculty, staff and peers will truly invest in your personal and professional development to help you address our critical concerns of mercy.”
For more information about the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, visit their website.
100 Ochre Point Avenue
Newport, Rhode Island 02840 USA
(401) 847-6650
(c) 2023 Salve Regina University
