EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) was named a Fulbright Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) Leader by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs. According to a news release from UTEP, the university was named on Sunday, Nov. 3, along with 51 other colleges and universities. The Fulbright program is a flagship international academic exchange program. UTEP was first named a Fulbright HSI Leader in the 2022-2023 academic year, according to UTEP. "I'm proud that UTEP is once again being recognized for helping students connect with Fulbright," UTEP President Heather Wilson said. "They are the best of the best and deserve to access life-changing opportunities to live, teach, and do research abroad." The U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken sent a letter to UTEP President Wilson that said the university is "demonstrating noteworthy engagement with the Fulbright Program... (it) is a testament to your institution's dedication to promoting global engagement and international understanding." UTEP's Office of Student Fellowships and Awards (OSFA) was created in 2019 to assist students applying for fellowships such as the Fulbright. Since the 2020-2021 academic year, 85 students have applied for Fulbright awards, including a record 30 applicants this year, according to UTEP. "As America's leading HSI, we are doing our part to support the Fulbright Program's goal of ensuring that awardees represent the diversity of the American experience," Jenn Green, director of the OSFA, said. "Our exceptionally talented students from the Paso del Norte border region offer an uncommon perspective and I can think of no one better to represent the U.S. abroad as Fulbrighters." One of the Fulbright applicants is Sebastián Rivero Acosta, a senior at UTEP studying political science with a minor in anthropology. He has recently applied for a Fulbright Study Research Award in Panama to study migration through the Darién Gap. "Fulbright represents a great opportunity for me," Rivero Acosta said. "It was through the support of OSFA that I moved forward with the application, an accomplishment I am very proud of. UTEP continues to uphold Hispanic students and make them as competitive as any other student in the world." The Fulbright Program was founded in 1946 and has since provided over 400,000 students, teachers, scholars, artists and professionals with the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research abroad, according to UTEP.