UNA Student Marks 16th to be Selected for Prestigious Fulbright Program
May. 20, 2026
Michelle R. Eubanks , UNA, at meubanks@una.edu, 256.765.4392
FLORENCE, AL – Jadra Gann, a Secondary Education major at the University of North Alabama from Hamilton, has been named a U.S. Student Fulbright recipient from the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. Gann is the 16th student recipient at UNA since 2017.
“Our U.S. Student Fulbright recipients are exceptional in all the ways – academically, in extracurricular areas, our community,” said Dr. Matt Price, Director of the Center for Premier Awards and Scholarly Engagement. “Watching them take UNA with them into the world as part of their interactions and educational experience is fulfilling and inspiring.”
Jadra, who goes by Jali, said that winning the Fulbright means being able to say “I did it!”
“I am achieving a six-year-long dream that is now becoming a reality,” she said. “This has never been just a momentary thought but, instead, a passion I have been diligently working toward for years. Teaching English abroad has always been my goal, and I am proud to see how my hard work, dedication, and many prayers are bearing fruit to me to finally enjoy.”
As part of her Fulbright experience, Jali will be in Taiwan for the 2026-2027 academic year. In additional to teaching English, she said she plans to immerse herself in the country and its culture.
“From the northern mountains to the southern seas and from the food to its indigenous people, Taiwan is a country full of hidden gems that I cannot wait to uncover,” she said. “As a teacher, one of the best experiences I could have in Taiwan is making a positive impact on the students I will teach. I know that there is so much I can learn from them, and I hope to reciprocate just as much, including encouraging those who want to go abroad and turn their dreams into realities.”
About The University of North Alabama
The University of North Alabama is an accredited, comprehensive regional state university offering undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degree programs through the colleges of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering; the Sanders College of Business and Technology; the Spencer College of Education and Human Sciences; and the Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professions. Occupying a 130-acre campus in a residential section of Florence, Alabama, UNA is located within a four-city area that also includes Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia. UNA Athletics, a renowned collegiate athletics program with seven (7) Division II National Championships, is now a proud member of NCAA Division I as part of the Atlantic Sun and United Athletic conferences. The University of North Alabama is an equal opportunity institution and does not discriminate in the admission policy on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, disability, age, or national origin. For more: una.edu and una.edu/unaworks/.