As an associate writing professor, University of Mary Washington alumna Jessica McCaughey helps undergraduate students process through prose their study abroad experiences in Portugal, Australia, Taiwan and other countries.
“I didn’t have a chance to study abroad in college, so I live vicariously through their adventures,” McCaughey, who was a first-generation student while earning a bachelor’s degree in English from UMW, told her alma mater.
Now, she’s experiencing an overseas opportunity of her own, UMW announced Wednesday.
After receiving a prestigious Fulbright Scholar Award, McCaughey, who graduated in 2001, moved her family to Northern Ireland in January, where she’ll spend six months teaching creative nonfiction at Queen’s University in Belfast. She’ll also develop a professional writing archive.
McCaughey’s among dozens of UMW alumni who’ve earned the U.S. government-sponsored grant through the Fulbright Program, one of the world’s most competitive international-exchange initiatives.
Roughly 30 recipients — including Sofia Taylor, who graduated in 2024 and is conducting psychology research in Germany — and nearly 40 semifinalists have come from UMW.
