Michelle Bolourchi

Michelle Bolourchi is the Program Manager for the Global UGRAD Program, sponsored by the Department of State’s Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs. In this role, she manages the implementation of a one-semester undergraduate scholarship program in the United States for talented students from countries typically underrepresented in international exchange. For eight years prior to this, she served as an Outreach and Recruitment Specialist at the Institute of International Education (IIE), most recently for the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program. She liaised with Fulbright Commissions and U.S. embassies in more than 40 countries to strategize recruitment to U.S. faculty and researchers, and represented the program in webinars, conferences, and to university leadership. During this time, she also managed the Fulbright U.S. Alumni Ambassador Program, training Alumni Ambassadors to serve as official representatives of the program. Michelle also led outreach efforts in the U.S. for the Cargill Global Scholars Program for students studying agriculture-related fields. Before moving to Washington, DC, Michelle was based at IIE’s office in New Delhi, India, where she conducted outreach across South Asia for New York University Abu Dhabi. During her six-year stay in India, Michelle also researched the Indian education system and gained expertise in higher education trends and the public and private school systems across the country. She has spoken at events for Indian students interested in studying in the United States and Germany.

Michelle has more than 10 years of experience in the field of education and international exchange. After completing her first MA, she served as an adjunct faculty for two years, teaching social sciences courses to undergraduates. Early in her career, Michelle taught elementary school before serving as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant at Max-Planck-Gymnasium in Trier, Germany. She has studied for extended periods in Germany, South Africa, and India, and holds undergraduate degrees in International Studies, German, and master’s degrees in Global Studies (Germany) and the Sociology of Education (India). She has served as a consultant for the German development agency, GIZ, and provided academic editing services for various sociology articles. She remains an active member of associations of North American alumni of German universities and volunteers at events for the Indian diaspora community in the greater Washington, DC area.

Michelle speaks German, Spanish, and is conversant in Farsi and Hindi.

Expertise: international education, program management, outreach and institutional relations, alumni engagement, event management