­Follow UC Davis: Twitter |  Instagram  |  Facebook
 
 
DAVIS, Calif. – The U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board recently selected men's soccer alum Wallis Lapsley as one of its 2020 Fulbright Award finalists.
 
"I was really excited when I found out, and felt super grateful to receive this award. It is an honor for the Fulbright Board to select me out of a pool of such accomplished applicants, and something that I am really proud of," said Lapsley.
 
Lapsley is the third UC Davis athlete to earn a scholarship since the Fulbright Program was established in 1946. Kenneth Smallwood, a member UC Davis cross country and track & field was the first Aggie to receive this prestigious honor in 1987. In March, 2019, field hockey alum Beth Lee became the first student-athlete, who competed during department's Division I era, to earn this scholarship.

Lapsley is Intercollegiate Athletics' inaugural finalist to enter the application cycle as an undergraduate student; he was notified by by the Scholarship Board shortly after he earned a degree in global disease biology.
 
"It was awesome informing my family about this honor, as well as the people who helped me through the application process. It was a pretty joyful moment for me when I found out about the scholarship; being able to hear the excitement in my parents' and grandparents' voices after I told them made that moment extra meaningful.
 
"I want to give special recognition to head coach Dwayne Shaffer for connecting me with the office of Prestigious Scholarships and Awards on campus, and Scott Palmer (UC Davis Global Affairs prestigious scholarship advisor) for guiding me through the application process. I also want to recognize and thank Chicana and Chicano Studies professors Monica Torriero-Casal, Professor Natalia Deeb-Sossa and my advisor, Brandy Fleming, for writing letters of recommendation.
 
"I am truly grateful for everyone's help," Lapsley added.
 
Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields. Approximately 370,000 Fullbrighters participated in the Program, which operates in over 160 countries worldwide, since 1946.
 
Run by the State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the Fulbright Program provides grants to teach English, study, conduct research or pursue professional projects abroad. The Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.
 
The Fulbright Program awards approximately 8,000 grants annually. Roughly 1,600 U.S. students, 4,000 foreign students, 1,200 U.S. scholars, and 900 visiting scholars receive awards, in addition to several hundred teachers and professionals. 
 

 
AGGIE EVO
Established during the 2017-18 academic year, the Aggie EVO System is UC Davis Athletics' investment in the primary mission of preparing student-athletes for a successful "launch" after graduation.
 
Thanks to a collaboration of alumni, university resources, corporate partners, coaches and Student-Athlete Outcomes staff, all Aggies are guided over four years to acquire the skills, knowledge, opportunities and tools to better know and navigate the "World of Work" after graduating from UC Davis.
 
Follow the Aggie EVO system on Twitter and Instagram at @AggieEVO.