Ani Khachadourian ’25 Awarded Fulbright, Scores on and off the Field

Ani Khachadourian ’25, a graduate in civil and environmental engineering and previous member of the women’s soccer team, has been awarded a prestigious Fulbright U.S. Student Program scholarship. She is  teaching American culture to high school students in Olomouc, Czech Republic, at a civil engineering high school, aligning her teaching experience with her academic background.

The Fulbright Program offers U.S. students the opportunity to spend 9 to 12 months abroad teaching English, conducting research, or pursuing graduate study. Grantees gain cross-cultural experience while building a deeper understanding of both their host country and the global role of the United States.

While at Lafayette, Khachadourian was a standout both in the classroom and on the soccer field. Last spring, she was a member of a senior design capstone team that proposed the design of new trail networks in Easton to enhance pedestrian safety and connectivity in the region. She was also an active member on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), a group of athletes that works to enhance the student-athlete experience academically and athletically.

As a member of the U.S. Women’s Deaf Nationa Soccerl Team since 2016, she has won gold at the 2021 Deaflympics in Brazil and the 2023 Deaf World Cup in Malaysia. Currently, the team is training for the 2025 Deaflympics to be held in Japan in November. 

Khachadourian spent the summer interning with the Green Stormwater Infrastructure team at McAdams in Raleigh, North Carolina, deepening her expertise in sustainable, nature-based solutions for stormwater management—an area of growing importance in civil and environmental engineering.

“I’m incredibly grateful for the support of my family, professors, mentors, teammates, and friends at Lafayette. ” Khachadourian shared. “The Fulbright Program is an amazing opportunity to explore intercultural relations, immerse myself in a new environment, and grow as a person and citizen. I’m excited for the future and what is yet to come!”