W&L Alumna Maria Kisker ’21 Selected for Fulbright to Taiwan Kisker will pursue a master’s degree in political economy at National Tsing Hua University.

By Emily Innes
July 30, 2024

Washington and Lee University graduate Maria Kisker ’21 has been awarded a Fulbright Master of Arts Degree Award to Taiwan. At W&L, Kisker majored in economics with a double minor in math and Chinese. Kisker is a native of Dayton, Ohio, and graduated from Oakwood High School.

Kisker will pursue a master’s degree in political economy at National Tsing Hua University (NTHU), which is one of Taiwan’s most prestigious comprehensive universities and is known as an incubator for future leaders. The master’s degree program in the Taipei School of Economics and Political Science at NTHU equips students with extensive knowledge of the dynamics of political economy in Asia and the key trends underlying global political economy and its transformation.

“I am incredibly excited to combine my interests in business, economics and foreign policy through this program,” said Kisker, who is currently an associate at the consulting firm Kearney. “In my most recent role, I was exposed to the highly global and strategically important semi-conductor industry, and I look forward to spending time in Hsinchu, Taiwan’s semi-conductor manufacturing hub, and learning about how countries manage risk in this vital component of the defense industry.”

Kisker arrived at W&L planning to major in physics and music, but after a classmate convinced her to read an economics paper with her, “I was hooked,” she said.

“I love that economics is a framework through which to ask questions about human behavior using data,” Kisker said. “Especially in the case of macroeconomics, the conclusions set policy that impacts daily life, and this has become especially obvious in our recent high-inflationary environment.”

At W&L, Kisker was a member of Washington and Lee Student Consulting and the University Singers, and an economics tutor. She is grateful for the guidance and support from her professors, including Michael Anderson, the Robert E. Sadler, Jr. Professor of Economics, and Brian Alexander, associate professor of politics, whom she credits with teaching her the importance of building strong relationships during Washington Term.

With the Fulbright award, Kisker will depart in August 2024 to begin her two-year program. Upon completion of the program, she plans to return to the United States and continue working at the intersection of business and foreign policy, using her degree to help global businesses navigate the geopolitical environment.

The Fulbright Program was established more than 75 years ago to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. Fulbright is the world’s largest and most diverse international educational exchange program. 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.

Washington and Lee University is proud to be included on the list of U.S. colleges and universities that produced the most 2023-2024 Fulbright U.S. Students for the sixth consecutive year.

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