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Schuyler

U.S. Fulbright

Writing Tips for Fulbright Public Policy Fellowship Applicants: Think About the Five Ws and One H (Who, What, Where, When, Why and How)

January 4, 2013

If you’re applying for a Fulbright Public Policy Fellowship application and currently working on your Statement of Grant Purpose and Personal Statement, make sure to ask yourself the six journalistic questions. In the words of current Fulbright Public Policy Fellow Taylor Steelman (who recently participated in a Fulbright Public Policy Fellowship Webinar), “Keep asking yourself one question: WHAT skills, knowledge, and experience of yours will benefit the host country or institution, and HOW?”

In writing your Statement of Grant Purpose, describe your relevant background and skills that support why you are uniquely qualified to pursue a Fulbright Public Policy Fellowship. How will those skills be implemented during your grant? How will they help you to engage with your host supervisors and local community?

For your Personal Statement, tell your story and how, personally and professionally, you arrived at the decision to pursue a Fulbright Public Policy Fellowship. This is the essay in which you can give reviewers a better sense of who you are, your leadership qualities, why you’re passionate about your field and what you hope to achieve as a result of pursuing a Fulbright Public Policy Fellowship.

Want more advice on how to write your Fulbright Public Policy Fellowship essays? Review the Tips for Study/Research in Academic Fields on our website. Also, attend an upcoming Fulbright Public Policy Fellowship Webinar.

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U.S. Fulbright Unknown

Working on a Fulbright Public Policy Fellowship application? Read about current fellow Megan Banick.

December 21, 2012

Megan Banick’s Fulbright Public Policy Fellowship placement is in the Guatemalan Ministry of Education as an Educational Researcher consulting on various education topics such as intercultural-bilingual education quality, civic education through student government, and international standardized testing. She is also leading a project for the Ministry on academic disinterest and cultural perceptions in Guatemala. Previously interning at a local NGO, she supported an agriculture and microbusiness training program in the same rural area where her current work will take place. Further, as an observer of a local mayoral candidate’s campaign, she gained a stronger understanding of the complex challenges facing democracy and public participation in rural, indigenous areas.

Ms. Banick has experience in preschool through adult education, having spent time working with bilingual education in Spain, vocational training in Chile, and immigrant/refugee education in the United States. Having recently completed an MA in International Development at the University of Denver, her research interests include education reform and political economic development in Latin America. She received her BS in Modern Languages and Marketing Communications from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. As a Fulbright Public Policy Fellow, she hopes to further her understanding of institution building in a development context, how to support large-scale educational reform, and methods for integrating marginalized populations into public life.

Interested in pursuing a Fulbright Public Policy Fellowship or want to learn more? Click here and  here. Also, be sure to sign up for the last two Fulbright Public Policy Fellowship webinars.

Applications will be accepted from November 1, 2012 – February 1, 2013 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

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U.S. Fulbright

Meet the 2013 Fulbright Alumni Ambassadors!

December 17, 2012

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Tuesday, December 11, 21 newly-selected 2013 Fulbright U.S. Student Program Alumni Ambassadors met in Washington, DC to receive training on how to promote and recruit for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. Staff members from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) and the Institute of International Education (IIE), along with previous Fulbright Alumni Ambassadors, shared tips on giving an effective presentation and emphasized the unique, important role that Fulbright Alumni Ambassadors play in inspiring diverse students, Fulbright Program Advisers, college administrators – and anyone interested in the program – to learn more about it and the power of educational and cultural exchange.

The Fulbright U.S. Student Alumni Ambassador Program was established in 2008 to identify, train and engage a select group of approximately 15-25 Fulbright U.S. Student Program alumni to serve as representatives, recruiters and spokespersons for the Fulbright Program. They are selected annually through recommendations from Fulbright Commissions, U.S. Embassy staff, area managers, the Fulbright Student Program Outreach Division and approved by the Fulbright Program’s sponsor, ECA. Fulbright Alumni Ambassadors come from an array of different ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds, states, fields of study, institutions and have participated in the Fulbright U.S. Student Program in all world areas.

Fulbright Alumni Ambassadors represent the program’s rich diversity and play a key role in increasing knowledge about Fulbright opportunities. They provide testimonials about their Fulbright experiences at conferences and campus presentations, and offer application tips in written articles, video and podcast interviews, webinars and at special events throughout the United States. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program relies on the Fulbright Alumni Ambassadors to share with potential applicants what the Fulbright experience is really like and how to successfully address the challenges of living abroad while meeting the Fulbright Program’s ultimate goal – to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.

Here’s a preview of the 2013 Fulbright Alumni Ambassadors:

Stephanie Aigner
Current City: Jersey City, New Jersey
Undergraduate Institution: Seton Hall University
Fulbright ETA – Greece, 2010-2011

Marvin Alfaro
Current City: New York, New York
Undergraduate Institution: University of Miami
Fulbright CSIRO Postgraduate Scholarship – Australia, 2011-2012

April Conway
Current City: Athens, Georgia
Undergraduate Institution: University of Georgia
Fulbright U.S. Student in Ecology – Sierra Leone, 2010-2011

Emma Din
Current City: Washington, DC
Undergraduate Institution: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Fulbright ETA – Colombia, 2011-2012

Justin Dunnavant
Current City: Gainesville, Florida
Undergraduate Institution: Howard University
Fulbright U.S. Student in Archeology – Jamaica, 2009-2010

Jared Finkelstein
Current City: Lubbock, Texas
Undergraduate Institution: Farmingdale State College
Fulbright U.S. Student in Construction Management Engineering Technology – Italy, 2010-2011

Esther Francis
Current City: Independence, Missouri
Undergraduate Institution: Park University
Fulbright U.S. Student in Business – Mexico, 2011-2012

Cristina Gauthier
Current City: San Juan, Puerto Rico
Undergraduate Institution: Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico
Fulbright U.S. Student in Environmental Studies – Brazil, 2010-2011

Nancy Guevara
Current City: Urbana, Illinois
Undergraduate Institution: University of Texas at Austin
Fulbright U.S. Student in Design – Mexico, 2011-2012

Zigfried Hampel-Arias
Current City: Madison, Wisconsin
Undergraduate Institution: Rice University
Fulbright U.S. Student in Physics – Argentina, 2009-2010

Kaitlen Howell
Current City: Nashville, Tennessee
Undergraduate Institution: Middle Tennessee State University
Fulbright U.S. Student in Medical Science – Germany, 2010-2011

Heather Michelle Hunt
Current City: Dallas, Texas
Undergraduate Institution: Southern Methodist University
Fulbright U.S. Student in Arabic Language and Literature – Egypt, 2011-2012

Sarah Lima
Current City: Cincinnati, Ohio
Undergraduate Institution: At-Large
Fulbright U.S. Student in Archeology – Albania, 2011-2012

Todd McKay
Current City: Salt Lake City, Utah
Undergraduate Institution: University of Utah
Fulbright ETA – Bangladesh, 2011-2012

Shadea Mitchell
Current City: Bloomington, Indiana
Undergraduate Institution: University of Louisville
Fulbright ETA – Jordan, 2010-2011

Deeneaus Polk
Current City: Pascagoula, Mississippi
Undergraduate Institution: University of Mississippi
Fulbright ETA – Germany, 2011-2012

Rachel Reetzke
Current City: Austin, Texas
Undergraduate Institution: Western Kentucky University
Fulbright U.S. Student in Public Health – China, 2011-2012

Jonathan Remple
Current City: San Francisco, California
Undergraduate Institution: Boston University
Fulbright ETA – Rwanda, 2010-2011

Marisa A. Rinkus
Current City: Lansing, Michigan
Undergraduate Institution: Purdue University
Fulbright U.S. Student in Environmental Studies – Brazil, 2010-2011

Munir Sayegh
Current City: Indianapolis, Indiana
Undergraduate Institution: St. Ambrose University
Fulbright U.S. Student in Design – Egypt, 2011-2012

Heather Yocum
Current City: Longmont, Colorado
Undergraduate Institution: University of Denver
Fulbright U.S. Student in Anthropology – Malawi, 2011-2012

Photo: (Back row, left to right) Antonio Tahhan (2012), Jonathan Remple, Munir Sayegh, Marisa Rinkus, Nancy Guevara, Cristina Gauthier, Zigfried Hampel-Arias, April Conway, Deeneaus Polk, Tony Claudino (IIE); (second row, left to right) Esther Francis, Sarah Lima, Justin Dunnavant, Heather Yocum, Marvin Alfaro, Rachel Reetzke, Todd McKay, Stephanie Aigner, Kaitlen Howell, Emma Din, Shadea Mitchell; (front row, left to right) Schuyler Allen (IIE), Lee Rivers (IIE), BJ McDuffie (ECA), Jamie Lawrence (ECA), Meg Neff (ECA; (not pictured), Mary Kirk (ECA), David Levin (ECA), Betsy Glans (IIE) and Walter Jackson (IIE)

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U.S. Fulbright

Want to learn more about some of this year’s Fulbright Public Policy Fellowship recipients? Read about Andrew Tarter.

December 5, 2012

Andrew Tarter’s professional placement is in the Ministry of Planning and External Cooperation, within the government of Haiti. Born and raised in Haiti, Mr. Tarter has always maintained a keen interest in all things Haitian. His master’s research, which was fully funded through two U.S. Department of Education Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships in Haitian Creole (2008-2010), culminated in an anthropological outcome-evaluation of Haiti’s largest tree-planting project. Mr. Tarter is currently finishing a Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of Florida, where he has taught undergraduate courses for the Department of Anthropology as well as the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures. His Ph.D. coursework has been fully funded through the National Science Foundation’s prestigious Graduate Research Fellowship (2010-2015). Tarter’s dissertation research, which focuses on Haitian farmers who have independently elected to grow trees as a cash-crop, has been jointly-funded by both the National Science Foundation and the Wenner-Gren Foundation. For his Fulbright Public Policy Fellowship, Mr. Tarter is currently working with the governmental unit that coordinates the activities of NGOs operating in Haiti, helping to implement policies for NGO registration, and monitoring and evaluation. These measures will help ensure that the activities of NGOs meet the existing laws, policies, priorities and best-practices of the democratically-elected Haitian Government as it takes steps to strengthen its autonomy.

Interested in pursuing a Fulbright Public Policy Fellowship or want to learn more? Click here and  here. Also, be sure to sign up for one of the upcoming Fulbright Public Policy Fellowship webinars.

Applications will be accepted from November 1, 2012 – February 1, 2013 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

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U.S. Fulbright

The 2013-2014 Fulbright Public Policy Fellowship Competition is Now Open!

November 16, 2012

For the second year, the U.S. Department of State is pleased to offer the Fulbright Public Policy Fellowship, a new component of the Fulbright U.S. Student Program for public policy students and young professionals.

The Fulbright Public Policy Fellowship allows U.S. citizens to contribute to the strengthening of the public sector abroad by serving in professional placements within foreign government ministries or institutions while simultaneously carrying out an academic research/study project. The fellowship helps advance public policy research agendas, fosters mutual understanding and builds lasting ties between the United States and partner countries. 

Selected Fulbright U.S. Students will work side-by-side with the citizens of other countries to tackle the toughest public policy problems of the day. This exchange is the vanguard of international public diplomacy, as it leverages the excellence of the Fulbright Program to achieve global development objectives.

Applications will be accepted from November 1, 2012 – February 1, 2013 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

To learn more about the Fulbright Public Policy Fellowship, please click here and  here.

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We’re back!

November 5, 2012

We hope all of our readers are well and safe post-Hurricane Sandy. Regular posts will resume this week. Thanks!

 

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