Jelani Cotton is the first Holy Cross College student to receive a Fulbright scholarship, one of the nation’s most competitive international academic honors. He will be teaching in Asturias, Spain.
Cotton, a senior majoring in business with minors in Spanish and marketing, described his four years at Holy Cross as “transformational.”
“So many doors have been opened because of my decision to attend Holy Cross College,” Cotton wrote. “I feel that I am a completely different person with a whole new world perspective thanks to the experiences I have had and people I have met.”
Cotton said many of his accomplishments stemmed from a desire to become a role model for younger relatives and others in the community.
“A lot of what I have been doing is unfamiliar to my family,” he wrote. “I’m humbled to be able to lead by example, set a path that they can learn from and show them that the sky is the limit.”
He said his long-term goal is to eventually open community centers focused on empowering youth.
“I wanted to be someone for them that I felt I needed as a child,” Cotton wrote.
Cotton learned he had been selected as a Fulbright finalist in early April after what he described as an unusually compressed application process. He and Holy Cross Provost Dr. Michael Griffin discovered the opportunity roughly one week before the deadline.
“Other colleges and universities have departments that walk students through the application process over the course of months,” Cotton wrote. “I completed it in less than a week.”
Despite balancing work, classes and other commitments, he submitted the application minutes before the deadline.
“I was not very confident that I would be awarded this opportunity,” he wrote. “Shortly after the disbelief was a feeling of gratitude.”
Griffin, Cotton said, encouraged him throughout the process and believed he could become the College’s first Fulbright recipient.
“He checked on me every day of the application process,” Cotton wrote. “I was ecstatic to give him a call when I found out the news.”
Cotton will spend the next year in Asturias, Spain, teaching English and other subjects in elementary and middle schools through the Fulbright Program. He also hopes to launch community-centered projects during his time abroad.
He said his study abroad experience in Italy helped prepare him for the transition.
“I gained so much independence and deepened my global perspective,” Cotton wrote. “My ability to adapt and thrive in Italy showed me that I really can figure anything out when I put my mind to it.”
While he is excited to strengthen his Spanish skills and immerse himself in another culture, Cotton said he hopes the experience ultimately centers on connection and service.
“I want to create a space of togetherness and trust as I teach my students,” he wrote. “I want to be a role model that makes them feel worthy and seen.”
His path to the Fulbright traces through years of work, mentorship and service across South Bend. Since beginning at Morris Park Country Club in 2019, Cotton has worked as a dishwasher, busser, server and eventually director of outside operations for the club’s golf operation.
When Rusty Mason, the general manager and chief operating officer of Morris Park Country Club, first noticed Cotton, the teenager was alone in the kitchen dish pit after a busy golf outing, carefully scrubbing dishes long after others had left.
“He was the only one left working in the kitchen,” Mason wrote. “I observed how much care and time he took to do things the right way.”
That moment stayed with Mason.
“To say he earned it is an understatement,” Mason wrote. “He has the ‘it factor’ that few have, especially at a young age.”
Mason said Cotton consistently sought leadership opportunities and embraced responsibility.
“His thirst to lead was apparent early on,” Mason wrote. “Did he stumble from time to time? Yes. But he learned from mistakes and grew from them.”
For Mason, Cotton’s Fulbright recognition validates what he observed years ago in the kitchen.
“Some people just get it,” Mason wrote. “Wherever he chooses to go in life, you can bank on it being a leadership role.”
Cotton balanced work with academics, volunteering and mentorship throughout college. He volunteered with organizations including La Casa de Amistad, Our Lady of the Road, Cultivate Food Rescue and Unity Gardens while also mentoring high school students through the Community Foundation of St. Joseph County’s 21st Century Success Fellowship.
Malissa Ayala, the former program director for scholarships and education at the Community Foundation of St. Joseph County, said Cotton immediately stood out when he joined the fellowship as a high school senior.
“He was thoughtful, kind and personable,” Ayala wrote. “As a first-generation student, he knew he could be the spark for others to see that a different path was possible.”
Ayala said Cotton grew into a confident mentor who helped hundreds of students and families navigate scholarship opportunities and envision futures in higher education.
“He is a compassionate leader and makes sure others are seen,” she wrote. “He encourages and creates spaces that are safe for conversation and learning to take place.”
At community events such as “Success Fest,” Ayala said students and families naturally gravitated toward Cotton.
“He inspires,” she wrote. “Those students and families leave confident in next steps and excited for the opportunities that lie ahead.”
