Recent alumnus earns Fulbright award to pursue neuroscience research in Taiwan
When reflecting on the most impactful parts of his Centre experience, Kade Schooling ’26 can’t point to just one.
The range of experiences from his time as a Centre student, including classes, internships, volunteering and mentorship, helped earn him one of the most competitive awards in academic study abroad.
Schooling has been awarded a prestigious Fulbright U.S. Student Program Study/Research Master's Degree Program Award and will pursue graduate study and research at Taipei Medical University's Graduate Institute of Mind, Brain and Consciousness in Taiwan.
Majoring in both Chinese and Behavioral Neuroscience, Schooling took full advantage of Centre’s liberal arts approach, immersing himself in two fields that, at first glance, have little in common. Ultimately, he found that bringing his interests together opened up opportunities he wouldn’t have found by choosing just one.
"I knew I wanted to combine both my interests together in graduate school like I did at Centre," Schooling said. "And I did some research and found that there is literally a brain and consciousness Fulbright award in a Chinese-speaking country. I was like, 'This perfectly combines them. I have to apply to this.'"
The combination of rigorous STEM education alongside deep language and cultural fluency is exactly what made his application stand out. If he had gone to a larger university for his undergraduate degree, Schooling said he likely would have pursued only neuroscience. Centre gave him the structure and the support to do both.
But a competitive application doesn't write itself, and Schooling is quick to point out that this wasn't a solo effort.
The process began near the end of his junior year under the guidance of Robert Schalkoff, Centre's Director of the Office of Fellowships. The summer started with a fellowship boot camp to learn about how to write and approach an application. Throughout the fall, Schalkoff helped him work through draft after draft of his personal essays.
“I initially reused some of the material from my other applications for internships for my initial draft,” Schooling said. “When Dr. Schalkoff’s initial notes came back with lots of revision marks on them, I knew I needed to really invest myself in this application.”
Schooling also had support from professors across campus. His Chinese professors, Jingjing Cai and Mei Li Inouye, contributed recommendation letters, application feedback, and years of mentorship. H.W. Stodghill, Jr. and Adele H. Stodghill Professor of Neuroscience Melissa Burns-Cusato checked in throughout the year with the kind of steady encouragement that accumulates quietly and matters deeply.
"It takes a village," Schooling said. "I could mention every single professor I've interacted with, because even the little things — the hope they have in you and the encouragement they give — mean something.
“I would never have applied to something that’s nationally prestigious like this if my professors hadn't believed in me first."
That supportive network extended beyond the classroom. Schooling's involvement in Centre's Bonner Program introduced him to service work and the Fulbright programs.
A semester studying abroad in France, during which he volunteered as an English-teaching intern, added international experience to an already strong profile.
The road to the award wasn't without doubt, though. Schooling spent much of the fall semester convinced he wouldn't be selected, applying to U.S. graduate schools as a backup while grinding through revisions to his Fulbright application.
He found out he was a finalist on April 15, the same day he faced a decision deadline from other programs. He received the Fulbright award but still had to wait two more weeks to hear if he was accepted to Taipei Medical University.
"It definitely builds resilience," he laughed.
At Taipei Medical University, Schooling will work within a program that uses cutting-edge technologies to study human consciousness. He's particularly interested in sleep neuroscience research being conducted there, and he hopes to continue the kind of community involvement that shaped his time at Centre, including volunteer work.
When Schooling lands in Taipei this fall, he knows exactly what his first stop will be: a CoCo bubble tea.
“They have a location in New York City, but it’s just not the same,” Schooling joked.
While he'll be 12 hours from anyone he knows, he’s excited for the bubble tea, the hiking, the research and the connections waiting to be made on his next adventure.
