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Megan Baldemor '26, a biology major, has been selected for a Fulbright U.S. Student Program Study award.

Megan grew up dancing. As a child in Honolulu, Hawaii, she choreographed routines in her bedroom and fashioned pointe shoes out of cardboard and cotton balls. Science came later—specifically, in a class called Physics of Dance during her first quarter at Santa Clara, where professors broke down the biomechanics of a pirouette, and something clicked.

Now a biology major with minors in chemistry and medical and health humanities, Baldemor has spent the years since bridging both worlds. Her Fulbright Study Award will take her abroad to conduct dementia and stem cell research, building toward her goal of an M.D./Ph.D. in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine. She plans to become a physician-scientist, focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms of neurodegenerative disease.

On campus, she conducts research in the Cocas Laboratory, volunteers at the Hearts & Minds Activity Center through the Ignatian Fellowship, and continues to dance, including in seasonal productions with the Department of Theatre and Dance. She and classmate Jasmine Vu co-founded Santa Clara Kids ARTopia, a free arts education program for local elementary school students that launched with a $15,000 Strauss Foundation grant and now operates in partnership with the Ignatian Center’s Arrupe Engagement program. Baldemor is also co-president of Alpha Sigma Nu, the national Jesuit honor society, a member of Tri-Beta and Sigma Xi Honors Societies, and a 2025 recipient of both the Goldwater Scholarship and Strauss Scholarship.

“I am incredibly grateful to the Office of Student Fellowships, my mentors—Laura Cocas, Ian Carter-O'Connell, David Popalisky, and Leilani Miller—and my family and friends for supporting me throughout this process,” said Baldemor. “I am unbelievably excited to begin this research next year, working with a groundbreaking stem cell model for dementia.”

About The Fulbright Program
The Fulbright U.S. Student Program awards approximately 2,000 grants annually in all fields of study. Recent graduates and graduate students undertake international graduate study, advanced research, university teaching, and primary and secondary teaching worldwide.  Founded in 1946, 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. For further information please visit .