THIBODAUX, La. – Nicholls State University art alumna Madison Rogers received a Fulbright U.S. Student Program award to teach English in Modra, Slovakia for the 2025-2026 school year.
Fulbright scholarships are among the most prestigious and internationally recognized scholarships offered in the United States. Student scholarship applications to Europe and Eurasia have an acceptance rate of approximately 15%. Rogers is only the second Nicholls student to have ever been accepted into this program. This award was provided by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.
Rogers graduated in 2024 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, concentrating in Art Education. She first learned about the Fulbright English Teaching Assistant program in her senior seminar with Dr. Ashley Busby, Nicholls assistant professor of Art History. During 2024, Rogers began preparing her application materials and completing her teaching residency requirements at South Lafourche High School, her alma mater. She also completed independent study projects on the history of Slovak art to help better understand the communities she hoped to serve.
During her time at Nicholls, Rogers was a member of the Zeta Alpha Zeta Chapter of Kappa Pi International Art Honor Society, serving as Vice President. In 2022 she was the recipient of an ArtWorks Study Abroad scholarship, supporting her travels to France and Italy during the summer of 2023.
During her placement in Modra, Rogers hopes to use her background of American and Slovak art history to teach and engage Slovak students. She plans to create an art club that revolves around American film, visual art, music and dance histories. As a painting and ceramics specialist, she is also excited to explore Modra’s native art forms, including ceramic workshops at Slovenská ľudová majolika, the largest ceramic producer in the country. Rogers also plans to travel to neighboring cities to visit art museums and take folk art classes.
This Fulbright experience will help Madison flourish as an educator, learn more about the country’s rich art forms and hone in on her abilities as an artist. Upon her return to the U.S., Rogers hopes to pursue work as an art educator.
Dr. Busby said, “Fulbright is a vital program that supports global education and a spirit of ambassadorship in an ever-changing global world. Madison is one of the first Nicholls students to receive and accept a position through Fulbright. This award will allow her to continue to grow as a global citizen, artist and educator all while representing Nicholls and the greater South Louisiana community. It was a pleasure to support her through the application process, and I am excited to follow her experiences abroad over the next year.”
More than 2,000 Fulbright U.S. Students—recent college graduates, graduate students and early career professionals—pursue graduate study, conduct research or teach English in schools abroad each year. They are recognized alongside more than 800 faculty, researchers, administrators and established professionals who teach or conduct research in affiliation with institutes abroad annually through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program. Fulbrighters form ongoing research collaborations and lay the groundwork for future partnerships between institutions.
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 has operated 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 fulbrightprogram.org.
To learn more about Nicholls Art Department, visit www.nicholls.edu/art.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, July 8, 2025
MEDIA CONTACT: Payton Suire
Media Relations & Publications Coordinator,
985.448.4141 or payton.suire@nicholls.edu
