JESSICA BOLING, of Coupeville, has been awarded a U.S. Fulbright Fellowship for the 2012-2013 academic year. Boling is a 2003 graduate of Coupeville High School. She received a bachelor of social work degree from Seattle University in 2007 and a master’s in social work, with an emphasis in nonprofit management and international social work, from Boston College in 2009. She currently works as interim executive director of a nonprofit adoptee organization in Seoul, South Korea.

As a result of the Fulbright fellowship, Boling will spend 10 months in Douala, Cameroon, beginning in early 2013. She will be conducting a study in the field of public health and HIV/AIDS, related to the effectiveness of funding of non-governmental organizations.

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program, established by the U.S. Congress in 1946, provides U. S. students and young professionals with opportunities to undertake international graduate study, advanced research and teaching worldwide. Approximately 1,800 grants, in all fields of study and in more than 155 countries, are awarded each year. According to Fulbright statistics for 2011, of 555 research proposals submitted for Africa, only 68 grants were awarded. Fulbright U.S. Student alumni have become ambassadors, journalists, members of Congress, judges, heads of corporations, university presidents, artists, professors and teachers.