Pomona Scholar Wins Fulbright Fellowship

Gabrielle (Gabbi) Kelenyi, a recent graduate of Pomona College, is headed to Panama City, Panama, with a Fulbright Fellowship to teach English and creative writing to adult learners at a local university. She is looking forward to engaging in cross-cultural dialogue with her students through a shared interest in language and communication.

“I am very excited to be a cultural ambassador for the United States,” says Gabbi. “I have a deep curiosity and ambition to learn about other cultures.”

While at Pomona, Gabbi co-founded the 5Cs Out Loud (5COL), a creative writing collective. The collective filled a great need on campus, and in two years, 5COL grew from just a handful of members to 40 members.

In addition, Gabbi was a poetry slam coach for Pomona's team, recruiting members, organizing competitions, and raising funds to send the team to the College Unions Poetry Slam Invitational hosted by Barnard College in New York City in April. The team finished in the top half of the country and, more important, improved its ranking from the previous year.

At the conclusion of her Fulbright Fellowship, Gabbi will return to the United States where she will continue to work with students as a corps member of Teach for America in Chicago, Illinois. She credits Posse for creating a supportive environment that empowered her to succeed.

“I wouldn’t be a Fulbright scholar and I wouldn’t have graduated without the support network that Posse provided,” says Gabbi. “We are truly a family.”