Cristi Marchetti of Lehighton Area High School has been offered a Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching grant to the United Kingdom by the United States Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.

Marchetti is one of approximately 45 U.S. citizens who will travel abroad through the Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Program in 2016-2017.Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected on the basis of academic and professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential.The Fulbright 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 primary source of funding for the Fulbright Program is an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.Participating governments and host institutions, corporations and foundations in foreign countries and in the United States also provide direct and indirect support.Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields. The program operates in over 160 countries worldwide.Since its establishment in 1946 under legislation introduced by the late U.S. Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas, the Fulbright Program has given approximately 360,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists, and scientists the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.Fulbright alumni have achieved distinction in government, science, the arts, business, philanthropy, education, and many other fields.Fulbright recipients are among over 50,000 individuals participating in U.S. Department of State exchange programs each year. The Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Program is administered by the Institute of International Education.