2016 - Page 9 of 20 - Fulbright Student Program Blog

On the Path to Fulfilling a Lifelong Dream

July 11, 2016

Anton Abdul Fatah, 2014-2016, Indonesia, in the front of Student Center of University of Miami which served as the Clinton Global Institute University in 2015

Growing up in Indonesia, I had big dreams of attending a U.S. university, but I never knew if they would come true. Receiving a Fulbright Foreign Student Program grant set me on the path to fulfill these lifelong dreams and has allowed me to pursue a Master’s of Public Administration at the Martin School of Public Policy and Administration at the University of Kentucky. I have enjoyed every single moment of my classes. The quality of my professors and the diversity of students, in terms of their disciplines and international backgrounds, have all enriched my U.S. experiences.

Through Fulbright, I received an additional scholarship through which I have conducted several research projects and presented at two conferences. First, I presented my comparative study on the impact of defense expenditures on economic growth in Indonesia and Turkey at the 2015 Indonesia Focus Conference in Columbus, Ohio. Second, I presented my Indonesian agroforestry project at the 2015 Tracy Farmer Institute for Sustainability and the Environment in Lexington, Kentucky.

In early 2015, I was selected as the only international student that year to join the Martin School team for the Policy Solutions Challenge USA. After receiving a first place award for the Southern Region, we attended the national competition in Washington, DC, where we came in second. I am so proud to have been involved with this wonderful team!

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U.S. Fulbright

Open the Door and People Will Enter

July 6, 2016

Corey Fayne, 2015-2016, Fulbright English Teaching Assistant to South Korea

In partnership with Reach the World (RTW), the Fulbright U.S. Student Program is publishing a series of articles written by Fulbright English Teaching Assistants participating in Reach the World’s Traveler correspondents program, which through its interactive website, enriches the curriculum of elementary and secondary classrooms (primarily located in New York City but also nationwide) by connecting them to the experiences of volunteer Fulbright English Teaching Assistants (ETAs) and other world travelers who are currently studying and living abroad.

When I think about where I come from, I think about the diverse neighborhood I grew up in, the different types of ethnic cuisines I could try, and the ‘corn man’ ringing his bell, so my sisters and I could eat some delicious Mexican-style cucumbers! Although the current neighborhood I live in South Korea as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant is not as diverse as my hometown, Chicago, I still feel at home because of my homestay family’s open arms.

Living away from home for a long time is like eating pancakes every morning for three weeks without syrup. It is not easy. It also means that you do not get to hang out with your close friends, eat certain foods that you are used to, or, perhaps, speak the language you are most comfortable with. It is scary. But even this difficulty and fear can bring about growth and a better sense of awareness.

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It Starts with the Application: Reflections from a Montenegrin Fulbright Visiting Researcher

July 4, 2016

Vladimir Leposavic, 2014-2015, Montenegro, giving a presentation at the Institute of International Education Washington, DC office

In 2014, I was selected to spend an academic year as a Fulbright Foreign Student Visiting Researcher, representing Montenegro, in the United States. My basic goal was to conduct research in international human rights; more specifically, on the international legal protection of minorities at the American University Washington College of Law (WCL). Moreover, I also had an opportunity to participate in a pre-academic summer program at the University of Kansas; consequently, my Fulbright experience started early in summer 2014.

As a PhD candidate at the Belgrade University, I had already been working on topics such as the international legal protection of national and ethnic minorities which is, in spite of its European origins, also a global phenomenon as well as a political and legal issue. Millions of people are living outside of their home countries or in so-called kin-states. The start of the Second World War was justified by the need for protecting one minority, but ended in the horrific extermination of another. In today’s world, more than five-thousand national or ethnic groups live in just about 150 states. In addition, some social experiments show that, even in situation of random grouping, more than 75% of group members tend to engage in different types of discriminatory behaviors toward others. These facts illustrate the social and scientific need for dealing with the subject of inter-group relations and minority protection.

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Alumni Perspective: Wesołych Świąt (Merry Christmas) from Poland!

June 27, 2016

Dani Francuz Rose, 2015-2016, Fulbright English Teaching Assistant to Poland, presenting to a group of local high school students visiting the American Corner

My husband Tucker and I (both from Georgia State University) have now been in Poland for over three months. We are here as Fulbright English Teaching Assistants and are located in the city of Łódź, in central Poland. During our time here, I am responsible for teaching several classes in the English Philology department at the University of Łódź. In addition to teaching, I am also involved in a weekly conversation club at the American Corner in Łódź and have been able to visit several other schools in the area to give presentations about American culture and the English language. Through these programs and in our daily lives in Poland, we are continuously learning about the people, the culture, and the language of our host country. We also have the unique opportunity to see how people in Poland celebrate the holidays all throughout the year.

Thus far, we have been through several, major Polish holidays, such as All Saint’s Day (a time to remember and celebrate the lives of family members who have passed away) and Andrzejki (a gathering for friends, family, and fortune-telling). We have also shared our American customs for holidays like Thanksgiving as presentations, conversation topics at the American Corner, and in everyday conversations with our new colleagues and friends. However, Christmas is the first holiday that we have in common. And it is a big one.

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Program Update: New Honduras Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship Program!

June 24, 2016

Ryan Alaniz, 2009-2010, Honduras, with his son Santiago outside their Fulbright home in Ciudad Divina Providencia heading out for a walk to the river.

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is now offering one English Teaching Assistantship (ETA) Award to Honduras!

The ETA will be assigned as an English language-learning assistant in Tegucigalpa at a Binational Center (BNC) affiliated with the U.S. Embassy and a teacher training college. To learn more about this new opportunity, please visit the Honduras country summary on our website.

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U.S. Fulbright

Home Sweet Home

June 22, 2016

Mikayla Posey, 2015-2016, Fulbright English Teaching Assistant to Germany and Reach the World Traveler (left), with a friend

Where do you consider your home? What are important parts of your home? Can your home change? When I was a kid, I had very clear answers to these questions. My home was 760 Crestwood. It was the brick house with a pine tree out front, my room inside with my stuffed animals and the people who lived there—my family! However, over time my understanding of my “home” changed. First, it changed when my parents divorced and then I had two homes and eventually two great families. It also changed when I decided to go to university over 1,000 miles away from Arizona. But even when my address changed and new people surrounded me, I always felt at home because I always had a community. What is a community? It can mean lots of things, but for me it means being surrounded by people who truly care about you, whether family, friends, teachers, coworkers or roommates.

Until I moved to Germany on a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship, my community always sprung from either my family or my school. However, when I arrived in Germany, I felt for the first time that I was very alone. I did not know anyone my city, all my coworkers seemed to already have their own friends and, on top of that, I was having a hard time speaking German. It’s much harder to make friends when you are not comfortable speaking their language!

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