Foreign Fulbright Archives - Page 27 of 27 - Fulbright Student Program Blog

Today is the Fulbright Program’s Birthday!

August 1, 2013

On August 1, 1946, President Truman signed the Fulbright Act authorizing the Fulbright Program for the exchange of teachers, students, professors, and research scholars between the United States and participating countries.

While the program has changed since inception (and continues to change), it remains the U.S. Government’s flagship international educational exchange program promoting global mutual understanding, leadership, and professional development, while building lifelong networks.

Go to the program’s Facebook page and wish Fulbright a happy birthday!

Watch the video below to learn about how Fulbright works. To learn more about the Fulbright Program’s history, click here.

How It Works: Fulbright from Fulbright Program on Vimeo.

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Communities and Rivers in the State Named After the “Great River”

June 27, 2013

Giusy Pappalardo, 2012-2013, Italy, standing along the Pascagoula River, the largest (by volume) unimpeded river system within the 48 contiguous United States

In a local farmers market, colorful t-shirts hang from hooks proudly proclaiming, in the words of William Faulkner, “To understand the world, you have to understand a place like Mississippi.” As a Fulbright Foreign Student from Italy studying at Mississippi State University’s (MSU’s) Department of Landscape Architecture, I have witnessed the meaning of this sentence first hand.

I’ve spent 10 months in the Deep South, traveling in an old Jeep which I obtained from another international student before he returned to India. “The car will be happy with you,” he announced when he handed me the keys. He was just one of the countless international friends I met on MSU’s campus. In our scented kitchens where we’ve shared tasty food and long conversations, I’ve learned about diverse cultures and made new connections.

Thanks to the car I inherited, it was easy to start my fieldwork. My Fulbright research has focused on the characteristics of interactions between human communities and rivers. I’m from the Italian island of Sicily, where I conducted Participatory Action Research with a network of grassroots NGOs that are trying to save the Simeto River, an important river in Sicily. The similarities between the Mississippi and the Simeto rivers are not based on physical characteristics. Rather, they are based on shared meanings and benefits which rivers can offer to the communities through which they flow throughout the world. My Fulbright grant has given me the opportunity to collect stories about other rivers narrated by their inhabitants. I’ve also explored some case studies with interviewees in which I’ve showed them a short video about the Simeto River in order to create a shared communality. After returning to Sicily, I will share these Mississippi-based stories with my home community through yet another video, further bridging the distance between Italy and the United States.

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Fulbright at NAFSA

May 24, 2013

Fulbright has a large presence at the premier international education conference.

Once again, the Fulbright Program has a large presence at the NAFSA Annual Conference & Expo in St. Louis, taking place from May 26-31.

The best way to find us is in the Expo Hall, booth 709, which will be well-staffed by Student and Scholar Program staff, Fulbright alumni, and even the occasional high-level staff from Fulbright Commissions in other countries!

Expo Days & Hours: May 28-30, 8:30 AM – 3:30 PM; May 31, 10:30 AM – 2:00 PM
Booth 709 (link to interactive map here)
America’s Center, St. Louis, MO

If you’re at the conference, stop by to say hello, ask about any aspect of Fulbright, grab a brochure, or anything else. If you can’t join us? No problem. Drop us a line on Twitter or Facebook!

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Bridging the Atlantic through Traditional East African Dance and Music

April 4, 2013

Alfdaniels Mabingo, 2011-2013, Uganda (center, on the big drum), performing with fellow NYU Steinhardt Dance Education students during the annual Distinguished Faculty Concert (photo courtesy of Cris Dopher)

My journey to New York University (NYU) to pursue graduate training in dance education started when I was still young. My artistic creativity, performance dexterity and exposure to dance artistry were nurtured and molded by the day-to-day, informal community-based dance experiences of my childhood. My mother would always sing me lullabies; my young peers always challenged me to create and share music and dance moves. These experiences came with me as I left my home country, Uganda, to attend NYU as a Fulbright Student.

When I arrived at NYU, I realized how different my new environment felt: accents, social interaction and studying styles, classroom dynamics, grades, pedagogy, music and dance traditions, food, modes of transportation – were all alien to me. I experienced what I would call “welcome to New York City” shock. My challenge was how to build on my cultural history, academic acumen, and ambitions to fit into this new environment. Dance and music helped me to become comfortably oriented in this unfamiliar setting.

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Fulbright is at the African Studies Association’s 54th Annual Meeting!

November 18, 2011

Come hear Sarah Ilchman, Fulbright Foreign Student Program Assistant Director for Africa, South and Central Asia at the Institute of International Education, and Fulbright U.S. Student Program Alumni Ambassador Michael Stanton (2005-2006, Senegal) present at the 54th Annual African Studies Association Meeting, November 17-19, at the The Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, DC.

For more information about the African Studies Association’s Annual Meeting , click here; to learn more about Michael Stanton’s Fulbright project, click here.

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