Dr. Emily Schulten Weekley, an English professor at The College of the Florida Keys, has received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program award in Literature and Creative Writing for the 2025-2026 academic year from the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.

Weekley’s project will encompass teaching and research in Hungary during the spring 2026 semester. Weekley will teach two courses on bachelor’s and master’s degree levels, a seminar on creative writing focusing on poetry and another titled Teaching Literature and American Children’s Literature, in the Department of Literatures and Cultures within the Institute of English Studies, University of Pécs, Hungary. The research project Weekley will pursue centers on Hungarian folk and fairy tales and their adaptation in the tradition of generational narrative.

Weekley, who was named the 2024 Key West Poet Laureate, is a nationally recognized poet and author of three collections of poetry. Her work has been published widely in prominent literary journals. Her accolades include the 2024 Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellowship, the 2023 White Pine Press Poetry Prize, and the 2023 Geri DiGiorno Prize.

“This competitive award is a lifechanging honor recognizing Dr. Weekley’s remarkable talent and accomplishments as a poet, writer, and educator. She is committed to nurturing future generations of writers,” said Dr. Jonathan Gueverra, CFK President and CEO. “She is an exemplary faculty member and will represent The College of the Florida Keys well in Hungary.”

Fulbright U.S. Scholars are faculty, researchers, administrators, and established professionals teaching or conducting research in affiliation with institutes abroad. Fulbright Scholars engage in cutting-edge research and expand their professional networks, often continuing research collaborations started abroad and laying the groundwork for forging future partnerships between institutions. Upon returning to their home countries, institutions, labs, and classrooms, they share their stories and often become active supporters of international exchange, inviting foreign scholars to campus and encouraging colleagues and students to go abroad.

Since 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided over 400,000 talented and accomplished students, scholars, teachers, artists, and professionals of all backgrounds with the opportunity to study, teach, and conduct research abroad. Fulbrighters exchange ideas, build people-to-people connections, and work to address complex global challenges. Notable Fulbrighters include 62 Nobel Laureates, 90 Pulitzer Prize winners, 82 MacArthur Fellows, 41 heads of state or government, and thousands of leaders across the private, public, and non-profit sectors.

Over 800 individuals teach or conduct research abroad through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program annually. In addition, over 2,000 Fulbright U.S. Student Program participants—recent college graduates, graduate students, and early career professionals—participate in study/research exchanges or as English teaching assistants in local schools abroad each year.

Fulbright is a program of the U.S. Department of State, with funding provided by the U.S. Government. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations, and foundations around the world also provide direct and indirect support to the Program, which operates in over 160 countries worldwide.

In the United States, the Institute of International Education implements the Fulbright U.S. Student and U.S. Scholar Programs on behalf of the U.S. Department of State. For more information about the Fulbright Program, visit https://fulbrightprogram.org.