Global Awards
The Office of Global Awards supports undergraduate students and alumni applying for a select number of nationally-competitive, merit-based fellowships, scholarships, and internships. In association with the NYU Changemaker Center, we assist students by hosting information sessions, leading development programs, holding one-on-one advising sessions, and running the University's nomination process for opportunities that require university endorsement. To learn about need-based financial support, please visit NYU's Office of Financial Aid.
Meet Your Advisors
Kurt Davies (he/him/they), Director, Office of Global Awards
Kurt Davies is the Director of Global Awards at New York University. In this role, he oversees the outreach, advising, and nomination processes for fellowships including Fulbright, Truman, Marshall, Mitchell, and Rhodes Scholarships. Kurt is currently on the Board of Directors for the National Association of Fellowships Advisors. He came to NYU from James Madison University, where he served as the Director of Prestigious Scholarships. They have also worked in the Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships at Villanova University and the Alliance for Higher Education and Democracy at the University of Pennsylvania. After a career as a travel agent, Kurt returned to college as a non-traditional student, receiving a Bachelor’s degree in linguistics and anthropology from the University of North Carolina and a master’s in higher education from the University of Pennsylvania. They are currently pursuing a doctorate in higher education administration at NYU. Kurt received a Fulbright grant in 2010 to research post-Soviet language policy in Kyrgyzstan. When not advising students on fellowship opportunities, Kurt is likely to be found seeing theatre, hosting trivia nights, or watching UNC basketball.
Shirin Nadira (she/her/hers), Assistant Director, Office of Global Awards
Shirin Nadira has taught, advised, and mentored students for over a decade, and has been a fellowships advisor at NYU since 2019. In her current role as Assistant Director of Global Awards, she primarily oversees NYU's advising and endorsement process for the Fulbright US Student Program — as of 2023, NYU has been named a Fulbright Top Producing Institution for 8 years running! — as well as other awards related to international exchange and study.
Shirin received her PhD in Comparative Literature from NYU in 2023 and wrote her dissertation on the depiction of university life and international students in contemporary fiction. When Shirin isn't talking and thinking with real-life or fictional students, you might find her hunting down cheap eats in Queens, working on jigsaw puzzles, or salsa dancing.
T Wilkins (she/her/they), Assistant Director, Early College Careers, Office of Global Awards
T Wilkins serves as the Assistant Director, Early College Careers. In this role, T focuses on supporting first- and second-year students and students from historically excluded populations in pursuing Global Awards. T has a Bachelor’s in English from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, a Master’s of English Education from Teachers College, and an EdD in Educational Leadership from Duquesne University.
Prior to joining NYU, T was the Assistant Director for Education Services at The Door and an djunct professor at Borough of Manhattan Community College. T has had previous roles with Sponsors for Educational Opportunity, the Boys & Girls Club of America, and the National Center for Academic & Dissertation Excellence and has taught at the University of the District of Columbia Community College, Trinity Washington University, the Community College of Allegheny County, and the College of New Rochelle.
Tara Wheelwright (she/her/hers), Assistant Director, STEM Global Awards
Tara Wheelwright is the Assistant Director of STEM Global Awards at New York University. Previously, she worked with the Fellowship Office at Brown University, advising undergraduates and alumni applying for scholarships and postgraduate awards. She earned a Ph.D. in Slavic Studies and an MA in Theater Arts and Performance Studies from Brown University, an MA in Russian Studies from Columbia University, and a BA in Biology from Hamilton College.
As a recipient of numerous awards, including a Fulbright and a Fulbright-Hays, Tara has international experience living abroad, most recently in Russia and Georgia. Outside of NYU, she’s likely at the ballet, on the hunt for the perfect khachapuri, or lost reading on the subway.
Yollotl Lopez (she/her/hers), Fellowship Advisor
Yollotl Lopez is a doctoral candidate in the English Department at the NYU Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Her work focues on 20th/21st century American literature, specifically undocumented immigrant narratives. She is also a volunteer editor at NYU's Latinx Project's publication Intervenxions and an active creative writer.
Clare Francis (she/her/hers), Fellowship Advisor
Clare Francis is an M.A. student in Global Journalism and Near Eastern studies at NYU. Her writing — covering issues of human rights, global justice, climate change, and the law — has appeared in Foreign Policy and the Lowy Institute. With the support of the 2024 Gallatin Global Fellowship in Human Rights, she is completing a research project on climate displacement in the Asia-Pacific region. She previously worked in foreign affairs.
Beyond her studies, Clare enjoys learning with and from students. In Australia, she volunteered as a tutor, coached high school debate teams, and mentored high school students through university admissions processes. She is looking forward to advising students on fellowship opportunities at the Office of Global Awards.
Outside of work, Clare can be found roaming Prospect Park, café-hopping, and sampling cheap eats around Brooklyn.