With the grind of a collegiate sports schedule combined with a full course load to graduate on time, student-athletes often don't get the opportunities to study abroad or be as involved as most traditional students.
But recent Villanova volleyball graduate Madeline Barber bucked that trend as in May, Barber was announced as one of 18 Villanovans to win a 2024-25 Fulbright U.S. Student Grant.
"I'm really proud that I got it, I'm so excited and grateful for all of my mentors and teammates that helped me through this process," Barber said.
"We're so proud of and happy for Madeline on this huge achievement," head coach Josh Steinbach said. "Madeline is an incredibly intelligent and thoughtful athlete, it's not at all surprising that she's a Fulbright scholar."
Encouraged to pursue the program by academic advisor Jenn Brophy, Barber began her application in March of 2023, stayed on campus through the summer to bolster her resume with an internship then finished up the application mid-volleyball season for submission in September.
In January, Barber was named a semi-finalist before learning that she received the scholarship in the first week of April. Based in the Asturias region of Spain, Barber will be working 20 hours per week as an English Teaching Assistant starting in September while setting up community events after school hours to connect with the locals.
"I've always wanted to live in Spain, I studied Spanish in school and my knowledge of the language is getting there," Barber said. "This doesn't necessarily fit into the field I'm going into, but I'll be an ambassador for the United States in a cultural immersion program and I can learn a lot from this program."
Armed with a degree in comprehensive science and sights set on a career in epidemiology, Barber aims to volunteer for a health center and see how the Spanish healthcare system operates while immersing herself in the Spanish language.
"Speaking another language makes healthcare so much more accessible to people. With the number of people across the globe that speak Spanish, this experience will help connect me to marginalized communities and work with those populations," Barber said. "Hopefully when I come back, I can combine the best of Spanish healthcare with American healthcare to be as effective as possible."
Barber is one of two former Villanova student-athletes that earned Fulbright grants this year, and believes her experience with the volleyball program greatly contributed to her resume.
"As a student-athlete, you're put through lots of situations and you have to find ways to deal with them. Your teammates are typically very different from you, and that will translate directly to my work with this program," Barber said. "I'd recommend more student-athletes look into this program because the leadership and independence that we learn are things that Fulbright values, and that's part of what made my application strong."
And one of Villanova's starting middle blockers for the past four years doesn't plan to leave her on-court skills in the rear-view, as the 6-foot-2 Wisconsin native will look to further relationships with the community by joining a rec volleyball team.
"Volleyball is a universal language," Barber said. "I can connect myself with people on the court just as much as off it."
