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Fulbright Foreign Student
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Promoting More Than Academic Enrichment
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Alumni Perspective: Returning Home a Different Personby Maythukha Soe, 2008-2010, Burma
I also enjoyed some of the more social aspects of my Fulbright grant, such as networking online with fellow Fulbright Students and alumni, and attending events like the From Lab to Market Enrichment Seminar and the Re-entry Workshop for Fulbright Women from Southeast Asia. I was able to befriend a number of Fulbrighters at these events and also during my pre-academic language training. My semester breaks and holidays were put to good use by travelling from coast to coast, experiencing the weather of all four seasons and meeting wonderful people. Visiting the Freedom Trail in Massachusetts, the "Big Apple" (New York City), the birthplace of Jazz in Louisiana and San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge were all memorable and exciting adventures. Through learning opportunities that arrived from feeling very overwhelmed during the beginning of my grant to when I experienced reverse homesickness this past spring, being a Fulbrighter has made me stronger emotionally. I grew more accustomed to many nice American habits, such as regularly offering smiles and helping hands to strangers, and made it a point to bring these habits back home. I was also impressed by the easy access to either print or Internet-based information in the United States. My Fulbright experience helped me to become more self-aware since, as the saying goes, studying overseas promotes more than academic enrichment; it helps individuals to learn about themselves. My Fulbright experience came to a successful end last year thanks to the amazing faculty, staff and fellow student minds I encountered at Tulane and to the Americans with whom I lived and worked. Most importantly, as a Fulbright alumna, I have returned to Burma a different person with a wealth of knowledge that will allow me to continue my Fulbright experiences here at home. Thank you, U.S. Department of State. Long live the Fulbright Program so that others' dreams can come true worldwide! To comment on and interact with other Fulbrighters about Maythukha Soe's article in the Fulbright Community on State Alumni, please click here. |
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A Fulbright Dream Comes to Lifeby Manuella Batista de Oliveira, 2010-2011, Brazil
My Fulbright dream started in March 2004, at a poster presentation during an international neurosciences symposium held in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. The mind-blowing idea of attending a Ph.D. program at Harvard University studying state-of-the-art neuromodulation techniques made me ask myself, "Can I spend a year in another culture studying neuroscience and meeting people from around the world?" To make this dream come true, I needed to find out more about fellowship opportunities and prepare myself for being away from everything familiar. I attended a presentation about the Fulbright-CAPES Doctoral Program, an initiative to increase student exchange between the United States and Brazil. During this presentation, the realization hit: Here we go! Here's the fellowship opportunity I should pursue. With outstanding support from my mentors, I submitted all the necessary Fulbright application documents. My Fulbright grant started in fall 2010. Once you leave your home country, you start to learn about it and your host country more than you initially imagined. One thing I learned was that the American lifestyle encourages one to be assertive. As a Fulbrighter, I realized that one needs to have a remarkable amount of patience to confront obstacles presented by new concepts and different work routines. One needs to maintain self-control and persevere in order to overcome difficulties and achieve goals. My original Fulbright dream is now being realized due to daily work routines and through different cultural perspectives presented during lab team discussions. For instance, every week my team and I have four meetings: first, a lab meeting that starts with a brief progress report on our projects, followed by a thought-provoking discussion and ending with a debate about two papers; second, a brainstorming meeting during which each team member presents ideas; third, a writing workshop to help us write papers and apply for grants; and fourth, a full update on our projects. In addition to these meetings, my team members and I also attend courses, and collect and analyze data. We enjoy working in the lab and exchanging “mad scientist thoughts” with fellow students from different cultures. In my opinion, the Fulbright Program can be a creative dream that helps students to challenge personal and professional limitations; it helps us to get closer to our goals and make our dreams reality. Maybe some readers will think this is an overstatement. For those readers, I suggest learning more about the Fulbright Program and what it has done for so many around the world. If they don't change their minds, I hope that one day they might experience what it's like to be a cultural ambassador and to rediscover their neglected dreams. To comment on and interact with other Fulbrighters about Manuella Batista de Oliveira's article in the Fulbright Community on State Alumni, please click here. |
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Connect and Share Your Experiences with Fellow Fulbrighters on State Alumni and FacebookState Alumni If you are not already familiar with State Alumni, it is a social network sponsored by the U.S. Department of State exclusively for all current and past participants of State Department-sponsored exchange programs, including the Fulbright Program. To register for State Alumni and gain access to the Fulbright Community, go to https://alumni.state.gov. The Fulbright Library The Fulbright Library on State Alumni is a new way to share, connect and collaborate with other current and former Fulbrighters. It offers a platform, categorized by subject area, for you to share your articles, blogs, classroom materials and other media related to your areas of interest and research, particularly work related to your Fulbright grant. If you are already a member of State Alumni, you may access the Fulbright Library at https://alumni.state.gov/fulbright/library. Share your photos with the Fulbright Community!
The Fulbright Program has an official
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news, ask questions and engage with fellow
Fulbrighters from around the world.
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A Call for Short VideosHave you made a short video about your Fulbright experience? Submit it to the newsletter! We are looking for informative interviews about your Fulbright experiences in the United States. The video should run no longer than 10 minutes and highlight the positive impact the Fulbright Foreign Student Program has had on you, your host campus and local community. Acceptable formats include: electronic files such as wmv, Quicktime, DV, mini tapes, DVDs, etc. All videos will be edited and screened for their relevance and appropriate content. The footage can show you:
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A Call for Articles with PhotosWe welcome articles with accompanying photos for future issues of the Fulbright Foreign Student Newsletter. Articles should ideally be about your experience of being in the United States as a Fulbright grantee (and cultural ambassador), discuss your research and classroom experiences, as well as any personal examples about how you’ve achieved the goal of the Fulbright program: to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. The length of the article should be no more than 500 words and not require much editing in order to be published. The accompanying photos (preferably high resolution, 300 dpi or above) should show you engaged in program activities, be illustrative of your article's content and include captions. Please submit your articles with photos within two weeks of the release of this newsletter. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. We look forward to receiving your articles! |