Jessica Petri
Jack MacDonald
Two University of Wyoming students have been selected for the prestigious Fulbright U.S. Student Scholarship Program this academic year.
Jessica Petri, of Green River, was selected as an English teaching assistant in Laos, and Jack MacDonald, from Manchester, Conn., will serve as an English teaching assistant in Taiwan.
The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to foster mutual understanding between the U.S. and other countries. It’s funded primarily by Congress through the Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, with participating governments, host institutions, corporations and foundations in foreign countries and in the U.S. also providing support.
Operating in over 160 countries, the highly competitive program selects recipients based on academic or professional merit and leadership potential.
Petri graduated in May with bachelor’s degrees in social studies education and political science, along with minors in honors, international relations and comparative government. Her career as an educator began at age 15 as a swim instructor in Green River. Since then, her experiences have taken her from rural Wyoming to classrooms across Europe, Southeast Asia and Central America, demonstrating her commitment to global educational equity.
In Wyoming, she worked in a preschool in Laramie, tutored government classes at UW and was a social studies student teacher and debate coach at Cody Middle School. Petri also volunteered for Big Brothers/Big Sisters as a mentor for at-risk youth and taught English online to Syrian refugees throughout college. Internationally, she taught English in Spain as an au pair while earning a diploma in Spanish culture and business, and she taught English to Burmese refugees in Thailand during summer 2024. Petri also gained experience teaching at the Pan-American School of Costa Rica this spring.
After her Fulbright year in Laos, Petri plans to pursue graduate studies in human rights and education. She believes education is the foundation of liberty and peace. Expanding educational access, she says, is the most effective way to reduce global suffering and empower individuals and communities to define their own lives.
“To me, the Fulbright Program represents the greatest good out there: to increase opportunities for education worldwide,” Petri says. “I am honored to contribute to that mission as a teacher in Laos next year. I am grateful to the University of Wyoming for preparing me for this work and want to thank everyone who has helped me recognize my privilege and understand my responsibility to use it for good.”
MacDonald recently completed his Master of Music degree in trumpet performance at UW. He previously graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Music in trumpet performance and minor in music history from the Hartt School of the University of Hartford. While at Hartt, he studied under musicians affiliated with the U.S. Marine Band, Metropolitan Opera, New York Philharmonic, Broadway and Boston Symphony Orchestra.
At UW, MacDonald served as a graduate teaching assistant and lecturer in the Department of Music, teaching everything from private trumpet lessons to large ensembles and lecture-based classes. He also worked as a research assistant in the Department of Psychology’s Social Cognition and Law Lab. In 2024, he served as an English as a second language instructor for Columbia University’s Teachers College Community Language Program, where he co-taught an intermediate-level integrated skills course for recent immigrants to the U.S.
MacDonald also is a private music teacher and serves as an instructor and programs associate with Through the Staff, a nonprofit providing free music instruction to disadvantaged youth. He was principal trumpet of the UW Symphony Orchestra, and his studies and performances have taken him to France, Spain and Brazil during his time at UW.
MacDonald expresses gratitude to his mentors, particularly David Wharton, Kayla Burd and Tiger Robison, for their support and guidance during his graduate studies.
“I am beyond honored to have the faith of the U.S. and Taiwanese governments in my ability to serve as both an English instructor and cultural ambassador,” MacDonald says. “This accomplishment is not an end but a means to continue to grow. I don’t view myself as exceptionally gifted, but I hold myself to an exceptionally high standard and approach every challenge with tenacity and adaptability. During moments of doubt, I leaned on my preparation, planning and execution -- because passion alone rarely yields results.”
Fulbright applications are due each year in early September for the following fall. Anyone with a bachelor's degree by the time the award period begins is eligible to apply. Shelley Jewell and Dianne Thompson serve as Fulbright Program advisers for UW and are available to support students and alumni throughout the application process. For more information about the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, go to https://us.fulbrightonline.org/.
