Top Curtin student joins Fulbright cohort to tackle climate change

Curtin University graduate Tiffany Verga has been awarded the 2023 Fulbright Postgraduate Scholarship to further support her efforts towards curbing the detrimental effects of climate change.

As a Fulbright scholar, Ms Verga – who studied a Bachelor of Arts and Commerce – will undertake a Master of Public Administration in Energy and Environment where she will sharpen her skills in environmental communication.

Ms Verga joins two other US-based Fulbright scholars, Associate Professor Neal P. Sullivan, from Colorado School of Mines, and Professor John Dilles, from Oregon State University, who will join Curtin this year.

Curtin University Vice-Chancellor Professor Harlene Hayne said the program fused together scholarly minds across continents for invaluable cross-cultural exchanges.

“The Fulbright Program is the world’s largest educational exchange program, and it is fabulous to see a bright Curtin graduate excelling on the global stage and focused on such a critical issue,” Professor Hayne said.

“I congratulate Ms Verga on being awarded this prestigious scholarship and I look forward to her contribution in the climate change communication and policy field.”

Ms Verga said she was thrilled with being awarded the scholarship, adding she plans to use the opportunity to forge ahead with her plans to help shape Australia’s climate change dialogue and policy.

“I’ve always been passionate about using communications to drive positive change but my passion for environmental communications really piqued when I attended the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, as part of a Global Voices Scholarship in 2021, where I was first introduced to environmental policy,” Ms Verga said.

“I am thrilled the Fulbright scholarship will now allow me to further my education into environmental policy to help make a difference in this critical area, where urgent action and sensible policy is needed.”

Ms Verga’s Fulbright scholarship adds to a string of other scholarship wins awarded to the Curtin student, including the Global Voices Scholarship in 2021 and the New Columbo Plan Scholarship in 2020.

Fulbright Australia is a foreign exchange scholarship program with a 75-year history that is sponsored by the United States and Australian governments and offers scholarships aimed at increasing bi-national research and cultural exchange.

The Fulbright program, developed after World War II, has awarded scholarships to 370,000 students, academics and professors across 160 countries.

Further information about the Fulbright Postgraduate Scholarship can be found here.