Nick Cleveland-Stout ’22 has won a Fulbright Scholarship, a prestigious award for students interested in pursuing research or teaching opportunities abroad. Cleveland-Stout will travel to Florianópolis, Brazil, in February 2023 to study the nation’s international political policy. His proposal, “Assessing the Impact of the 5G Race in Brazil Through the Lens of Florianópolis,” provides an overview of his plans to study the political impact of the United States and China on Brazil. The two nations are both offering bids to Brazil with hopes of building its new 5G network.

Florianópolis, a city in southern Brazil sometimes referred to as the ‘Silicon Valley’ of Brazil, is the ideal place to do this, since it will likely be at the forefront of the creation of these 5G networks, according to Cleveland-Stout. “To conduct this research, I will be working with two different groups at the Federal University of Santa Catarina who specialize in the Brazil-China relationship and international security,” Cleveland-Stout says.

Cleveland-Stout is a political science major from McMinnville, Oregon. At Colorado College, he has been involved in Model United Nations and the John Quincy Adams Society, a national organization dedicated to advocating for reduced American intervention abroad. He credits his time at Colorado College for preparing him to undergo this program. 

“I really have to specifically thank Dr. Naomi Pueo Wood for creating a vibrant community of people interested in Brazilian culture on campus,” Cleveland-Stout says. “Because of that, I feel as though I have been able to explore my interest in Brazil more through CC events like Carnaval, capoeira classes, or even just going to a Brazilian restaurant.”

This award comes years after Cleveland-Stout’s introduction to living internationally. During his gap year before college, he underwent a program called Global Citizen Year, during which traveled to Santa Catarina, Brazil, to live with a host family.

“I think it will be a good mix between new and old experiences,” Cleveland-Stout says. “I’m looking forward to going back.”