Jennifer Baaklini, Author at Fulbright Student Program Blog

Fulbright FLTAs Wish You a Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

March 17, 2017

The Fulbright Program between the U.S. and Ireland was established in 1957, making 2017 the 60th anniversary year.

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistants (FLTAs) made these short videos of their American students learning Gaelic or the Irish Language. This year there are nine Irish FLTAs teaching Gaelic in the United States. Overall, there are 396 FLTAs from 49 countries teaching 33 languages this academic year.

American students from Notre Dame, NYU, Idaho State University and University of Montana wish you a Happy St. Patrick’s Day – “Lá le Pádraig sona duit!”

Thank you to Irish FLTAs, Siobhán Ní Mhuimhneacháin, 2016-2017 Irish FLTA to Notre Dame, Eimear Kennedy, 2016-2017 Irish FLTA to NYU, Áine Ní Shuilleabháin, 2016-2017 Irish FLTA to Idaho State University, and Patrick John Seehan, 2016-2017 Irish FLTA to University of Montana for your work! Special thanks to the Fulbright Commission in Ireland for collecting the videos!

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Foreign Fulbright U.S. Fulbright

Fulbright 2016 Year in Review

December 20, 2016

In celebration of the 70th Anniversary of the Fulbright Program, we rounded up Fulbright events from 2016 that span the globe, represent the diversity of our programs, and that have been particularly noteworthy.

We invite you to celebrate #Fulbright70 with a look at the 2016 year through this interactive timeline.

Wishing the Fulbright Community a Happy New Year! We look forward to 70 more years of impact, innovation and inclusion!

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Enrichment Foreign Fulbright

Around The U.S. In 7 Days For Education Equality

September 9, 2016

Fulbrighter Jarod Yong (right), Malaysia, with Millennial Trains Project Founder and Fulbright U.S. Student Program alumnus Patrick Dowd (left).

If I were to summarize my MTP journey into one word, it would be “affirmation.”

Prior to my Fulbright, I was a teacher at a secondary school deep within the jungles of Borneo. My students were children from one of the most marginalized people groups in my country. During those six years, I designed and initiated multiple education programs which aimed to holistically develop my students in ways that their homes or the school could never do.

Being a guest to the U.S., I am naturally curious about education programs that exist for children from marginalized communities in this country. Therefore, my project during the MTP journey involved visiting and learning from organizations working to bridge education disparities for at-risk communities in the U.S.

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Enrichment Foreign Fulbright Fulbright-Millennial Trains Project

Hope Towards a Collaborative Future

September 6, 2016

MTP Change Journey participants — 360 degree group photo.

A few days ago I ended one of the best experiences that I had during my first year as a Fulbright Student. I participated in the Millennial Trains Project (MTP), a once in a lifetime opportunity to travel across the United States while developing a project about how museums engage with their communities.

The experience was so amazing that it’s impossible not to talk about for hours, but if I had to describe the trip in one word it would be “inspirational,” Why did I choose that word? Well I think that it describes the atmosphere that surrounded me during the entire journey.

During the trip I had the chance to meet marvelous young researchers that had similar questions about our society. We realized that despite our different cultural backgrounds we have similar goals in topics related to education, politics, civil rights, and community engagement, among others. Hearing their stories and being able to witness throughout the duration of the journey how they developed their projects to solve those problems, inspired me.

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Enrichment Foreign Fulbright Fulbright-Millennial Trains Project

A Need for Responsible Consumerism

August 26, 2016

Fulbright MTP participant from Germany, Desiree Garcia, right, on Millennial Train Change Journey 2016.

Fulbright MTP participant from Germany, Desiree Garcia, right, with fellow MTP participant, Leah Elizabeth Edwards, on Millennial Train Change Journey 2016.

Imagine walking around your city. All you see are evacuated stores falling apart, “for rent” signs dominating the view, yet knowing the chances for these spaces to be rented out are slim. Suddenly your memories take you back to a time when the stores were filled with people and all kinds of products. You remember how you, too, used to purchase your things here and you can still recall the smell and warmth of the stores, and the stories you were told by the store owners that were around for generations and knew the neighborhood and its people better than anyone. You find yourself smiling at that thought and then it hits you.

All this is no more. Main Street is dead.

Though I wished this was a fully fictional scene, I am sad to say that we are moving towards this quite quickly.

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Enrichment Foreign Fulbright Fulbright-Millennial Trains Project

Meet the Fulbright Millennial Trains Project Participants

July 21, 2016

The U.S. Department of State has selected the following six Fulbright Foreign Students to participate in the fourth Millennial Trains Project (MTP) installment across the United States as a special enrichment component of the Fulbright Foreign Student Program. This year the six Fulbrighters will be split between two MTP journeys, Change and Unity, joining 44 American Millennial riders who will traverse the country gaining a deeper understanding of life in the United States and social entrepreneurship. The special enrichment activity will give participants an opportunity to explore a research topic of their choice in-depth, and strengthen their leadership and communication skills.

Throughout the two journeys, participants will be sharing their experiences through social media using #MTPtrain and #Fulbright and here on this blog. Follow along in real time!

CHANGE // AUGUST 1 – 7

PITTSBURGH >> CHICAGO >> KANSAS CITY >> ALBUQUERQUE >> LOS ANGELES

Desirée Barao Garcia is a Fulbright Student from Germany.

DESIRÉE BARAO GARCIA

Germany // Enhancing Small Businesses’ Performances

Desirée received her bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering at the Technical University of Dortmund in Germany and is now completing a master’s of science in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research at Columbia University in New York as a Fulbright Student. Her previous work experience includes various industries (automobile, logistics, consulting, steel, fashion, etc.) and companies of different sizes (from 3 to 35K+). She is currently the president of GradSWE and a Global Guide for One-to-World’s Global Classroom Project.

Desirée’s MTP project will research challenges facing small businesses to find national and international similarities so that small businesses around the world can learn from each other’s mistakes and successes and adjust accordingly. She will meet with small business owners across the United States to find out how they are performing, what challenges they face, and conduct research on what those businesses can do to perform better and stay in business long-term.

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