Professor Katie Rose Hejtmanek has been awarded a highly coveted Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award for the 2025–26 academic year—an honor that will take her to the vibrant city of Tbilisi, Georgia, where she will join the internationally renowned Free University of Tbilisi as both a researcher and educator. A dual-appointed professor in the departments of Anthropology and Children and Youth Studies, Hejtmanek will work as a research fellow in the university’s Memory and Anxiety Laboratory, diving deep into the cultural and psychological underpinnings of modern life. She will also teach in the Graduate School and the School of Governance and Social Sciences, bringing Brooklyn College’s academic spirit to classrooms halfway around the world. But her vision goes beyond research and teaching. Hejtmanek hopes to build a transnational academic bridge between Brooklyn College and Free University. She will be collaborating with Deans Nutsa Batiashvili and Nikoloz Aleksidze to organize institutional opportunities for students including a field school or a laboratory exchange that promises to enrich the educational experiences of students and faculty on both continents. An innovative scholar, Hejtmanek is known for exploring the edges of culture—from institutional care for children to the world of CrossFit and strength sports. Her latest book, The Cult of CrossFit (2025), examines how American Christian values undergird the popularity of the exercise regime. Hejtmanek joins this distinguished cohort of Fulbright Scholars, continuing Brooklyn College’s proud tradition of global engagement and academic excellence. The Fulbright Program, established in 1946, is the U.S. government’s flagship international exchange initiative. With more than 400,000 alumni, including 62 Nobel Prize winners and 44 heads of state, the program connects scholars across borders to tackle today’s most pressing global issues.
