Julianna Boris ’26 has been awarded a Fulbright grant to serve as an English Teaching Assistant (ETA) in Taiwan beginning this fall. Following her graduation from Trinity College, Boris will have the opportunity to combine her academic interests with her passions for teaching and cross-cultural connection.
The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is a nationally competitive fellowship that funds recent graduates and young professionals to study, conduct research, or teach abroad. Funded primarily by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), the program aims to promote cultural exchange by placing participants in communities around the world, where they share their own backgrounds and learn from others.
A double major in anthropology and religious studies from Newton, Massachusetts, Boris said that her Trinity coursework has played a defining role in shaping her perspective. Classes with Associate Professor of Anthropology Timothy R. Landry and Assistant Professor of Religious Studies Susanne Kerekes left a lasting impact, particularly through their emphasis on ethnographic fieldwork and global religious traditions, she said.
“I think studying anthropology has really helped me prepare for going abroad,” Boris said. “It has given me a very holistic and open-minded view of the world. It helps me prepare to teach other people, but also to learn from them, too.”
Landry noted that Boris approached her classwork with intellectual curiosity, discipline, and care. “In her honors research, which draws on extensive fieldwork with Buddhist communities in the Boston area, she has demonstrated an ability to move confidently between ethnographic observation and theoretical analysis,” Landry said. “What sets her apart is her attention to details… She is the kind of student who elevates the level of conversation in any classroom she enters.”
According to Landry, Boris will bring many strengths to her time as a Fulbright recipient, including intellectual independence, a commitment to cross-cultural engagement, and an ability to translate complex ideas into accessible terms. “As a teacher, she is especially well-positioned to be effective in a cross-cultural setting,” Landry added. “She has a clear, grounded way of communicating that prioritizes understanding over performance.”
Outside the classroom, Boris has served as a captain of the Trinity women’s rowing team, to which she was originally recruited as a coxswain. Being part of that team has provided a strong sense of community and leadership experience, she added.
In addition to faculty members who supported her with the Fulbright application, Boris said she is grateful for the support from mentors at Trinity, including head women’s rowing coach Peter Graves ’07 and Mark Hughes, associate director of grants and fellowships and Trinity’s Fulbright advisor.
Boris first learned about the Fulbright program from Hughes during her junior year. Her interest in the ETA program stemmed from a long-standing passion for working with others. “I’m really interested in interacting with people, and I enjoy teaching,” Boris said. “I have a background in it from tutoring kids in learning how to play instruments and being a coxswain, where a lot of my responsibilities included teaching people how to row.”
After completing her application over the summer of 2025, Boris advanced from semifinalist to finalist—Fulbright’s term for grant awardees—an outcome she described as “completely unexpected” in such a competitive national program.
Boris’s decision to apply to teach English in Taiwan was both strategic and personal. She has studied Mandarin Chinese since third grade and hopes to strengthen her language skills during her time abroad. Additionally, as someone adopted from China, she sees the experience as an opportunity to reconnect with her cultural heritage.
Boris plans to depart for Taiwan this summer, with orientation beginning August 1 and teaching starting in September. While she has not yet received her placement, Boris expects to work in a rural community, likely teaching elementary or middle school students.
“It’s quite daunting because I’ll be living in this foreign country alone for 10 or 11 months… so that’s definitely scary, but definitely really exciting for me,” Boris said. “At this moment in my life, this is the time to try new things… I’m ready for something new, but I’m still attracted to a classroom setting. I think that this is a good transition because I’m not necessarily going straight into the corporate world.”
Although she is still exploring her long-term career path, Boris emphasized her commitment to creating meaningful change in communities. “What has drawn me to this type of work is the idea of doing work that’s centered around humans—helping people and improving communities from the ground level,” she said.
Students interested in learning more about the Fulbright U.S. Student Program should contact the Trinity College Grants Office.
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Trinity College President Dan Lugo has announced the reorganization of the College’s Executive Leadership Team, including promotions for three of its members, effective immediately.
