The Fulbright Program

The journey begins — meet the first recipients of the Fulbright / Kennedy Center Fellowship for Performing Arts and Science! The Fellowship places #Fulbright Visiting Scholars at the The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. to connect with artists, staff, educators, and audiences. The Fellowship was launched in support of the U.S. Department of State’s Global Music Diplomacy Initiative and coincides with the Kennedy Center’s expanded focus on Arts and Wellbeing. 🎵 Adriana Jaramillo, a clinical psychology scholar and education specialist from Colombia, shared: “Music has a key role in bridging divided societies. As a Fulbright-Kennedy Center Fellow, I’ll study the reactions and emotions of composers, musicians, and audience members during the music making process to see how music can mediate understanding between people of different social, ethnic, religious, or political backgrounds.” Her research will inform the Bogota Philharmonic Orchestra’s current peace initiatives and school-based programs to serve as a model in more countries and contexts. 🌎 Eder Zanetti, a forest scientist, engineer, and environmental journalist from Brazil, shared: “I am looking into how music, dance, performing arts, and cinema could be used as instruments for communicating about environmental sciences. By using the arts to raise awareness, we can foster a deeper connection to environmental issues, reach a wider audience, and inspire genuine care for our Earth.” Learn more about how the Fellows will advance peace and sustainability through the arts: https://lnkd.in/eGsx_XYw 📸 1. Jaramillo and Zanetti at The Kennedy Center Hall of Nations. 2. The Fellows with their Kennedy Center host collaborators in the Arts & Wellbeing and International Programming departments. Fulbright Colombia Fulbright Brazil

Sharing environmental science and sustainable agriculture practices between Cameroon and Georgia, U.S. 🌱💧 Georgia Gwinnett College (GCC) welcomed Dr. Jane Frances Ndefru Banseka from Cameroon as their first #Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence (S-I-R)! Banseka taught two courses, hosted guest lectures, and helped build collaboration between GCC and her home institution, University Of Bamenda, where she specializes in water resource allocation. Banseka's lessons extended past the classroom through field trips to water treatment plants and nature preserves, field practical training opportunities, and of course, cultural exchange. Now back in Cameroon, Banseka shared, "The Fulbright Program elevated my knowledge on different methods of teaching, doing research, working in a very diverse culture and people, and exposed to different climatic working conditions."

We're pleased to announce that Joan Gabel, Chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh and Fulbrighter to India, has been named Chair of the Fulbright Scholar Advisory Board! “I am honored to accept this role with the Fulbright Scholar Advisory Board,” said Chancellor Gabel. “As a Fulbright alum, I am a beneficiary of the life-changing impact that this experience creates, and I look forward to nurturing and growing the program to ensure the same opportunities for the next generation and beyond.” She succeeds Harris Pastides, president emeritus of the University of South Carolina and Fulbright alum to Greece, who has stepped down after nine years in the role and 12 years on the board. Ben Vinson, President of Howard University and Fulbright Alum to Mexico, and Lee Lambert, Chancellor of Foothill-De Anza Community College District, have joined the Board as new members in 2024. The Fulbright Scholar Advisory Board is composed of higher education experts from a variety of colleges, universities, and institutions, providing valuable guidance on the administration and future trajectory of the Fulbright Program with the goal of furthering international education and multicultural understanding. Learn more about the Board: https://bit.ly/3YcmmkV 📸 Images from Chancellor Gabel's experience on the #Fulbright-Nehru International Educational Administrators Program (United States-India Educational Foundation (USIEF), New Delhi) Fulbright Foundation Greece COMEXUS Fulbright-García Robles

Highlights from Dr. Aneika Simmons’s experience as a #Fulbright Specialist to South Africa ✨ Dr. Simmons is currently a professor of management at Prairie View A&M University who specializes in burnout resistance, organizational behavior, human resources, leadership development, team dynamics, interpersonal relationships, and principles of management. As a Fulbright Specialist, she visited University of Pretoria’s Department of Human Resource Management. “From serving as a Keynote Speaker to engaging in discussions with the PhD seminar and Postgraduate students in the Research Hub, and participating in various events, the experience was truly enriching. The warm reception and hospitality given by the department and college made the journey even more memorable.” 📸 1. Women's Month Symposium where Dr. Aneika Simmons was one of the Keynote Speakers. The event was hosted by the Society for Industrial & Organisational Psychology South Africa (SIOPSA) with the University of Pretoria and the South African Board of People Practice (SABPP). 2. Invited by the Dean of Faculty of Economics and Management Sciences at the University of Pretoria to be the Keynote speaker at the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences’ Research Day. 3. Dr. Simmons speaking at the University of Pretoria's EMS Postgraduate Research Hub Lunch Event. 4. Dr. Simmons visiting the Nelson Mandela statue on the Union Buildings grounds, Pretoria. World Learning

"During my time in Kazakhstan, I took the initiative to engage meaningfully with the local community. Beyond my job responsibilities, I started a speaking club for university and high school students to help them feel more comfortable speaking English on fun and engaging topics. My advice to fellow Fulbrighters is to fully immerse yourself in your host community. Don't be afraid to start something new. Join a local gym, pick up a new hobby, and take language and culture classes! Embrace new experiences and be open about your journey abroad. My strong connections with university colleagues and co-teachers allowed me to travel throughout many cities in Kazakhstan, allowing me to see mountains, steppe, desert, and sea. I also got to lead seminars in local rural communities, and was fully immersed as a member of the education system. Most importantly, however, I was welcomed into my colleagues and friends' homes as one of their own, and built a new family away from home." ~ Ksenia Polyarskaya, #Fulbright U.S. Student Ambassador and ETA to Kazakhstan, on building long-lasting Fulbright connections ✨ #MentorshipAndLeadership

“Fulbright allowed me to see parts of the world that I only dreamed about as a child, but most importantly, I saw my life experiences as something worthy of being seen.” ~ Juan Gonzalez, #Fulbright Alumni Ambassador and English Teaching Assistant (ETA) to Argentina. In the northern province of Tucumán, Juan taught conversational English to university students from Indigenous backgrounds. He considers supporting these students from marginalized communities to be the highlight of his Fulbright, and carries forward his commitment to expanding access to higher education. Juan was a first-generation college student who started his higher education at San Joaquin Delta College, a community college, received bachelor's and master's degrees from California State University, Long Beach, and is now pursuing a PhD in Higher Education Leadership and Policy at The University of Texas at Austin! 🔗 Hear more about his path before and after Fulbright: https://bit.ly/3UajUdL 📸 1. Juan showcases his UT Austin pride 2. Juan with his students in Argentina 3. Juan during the Alumni Ambassador training 4. Juan volunteering as an Alumni Ambassador at a Fulbright Foreign Student Enrichment Seminar #HispanicHeritageMonth

Fulbrighter Nabat Shir is making history as the first Turkmen film director to make an international premiere in Hollywood! 🌟📣 Shir's short film "The Window" will make its world premiere in October 2024 at two Hollywood festivals—the LA Femme International Film Festival and the City of Angels Women's Film Festival. Shir studied for her MFA in Film and Television from Savannah College of Art and Design as a #Fulbright Foreign Student. Shir shared, "My dream of creating films that would make a meaningful contribution to world cinema took real shape thanks to the support of the Fulbright Program. This was an essential step that allowed me to reach an international level and premiere my film in Hollywood as a director from Turkmenistan. Now I continue to walk this path with confidence, believing that with hard work, dedication and inspiration, any dream can be realized." 📸 1. Behind-the-scenes photo of Shir working on the "Mimi Meets Mio" Spec Ad 2. Shir graduating from SCAD 3-5. Stills from "The Window"

Fulbright-National Archives advances heritage science research by placing a #Fulbright Visiting Scholar at the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) laboratory, alongside their team of scientists and experts. 🔍📜 Heritage science focuses on enhancing the care, use, and management of cultural and historic objects using the tools and technology of math, science, and engineering disciplines. Lindsay Oakley, NARA's Director of Heritage Science Research and Testing, shared: "One of our goals for the research that we do in the lab is to always turn it into information that is actionable, whether that is for archivists or conservators or the general public.” Through the power of international collaboration, the Fulbright-National Archives Fellows are making tangible progress in preserving cultural heritage across the globe! Meet the Fellows here: https://lnkd.in/ev2tMV9S The #Fulbright-National Archives Fellows: 🇦🇺 2022 Fellow Cancy Chu, who was a PhD candidate from the University of Melbourne, Australia, at the time, tested methods to repair book and periodical covers. 🇧🇷 2023 Fellow Laís Feltrin Sidou, PhD, candidate from the Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Brazil, researched the preservation of everyday materials such as rayon, nylon and polyester. 🇪🇬 2024 Fellow Dr. Rasha Ahmed Elsaid Shaheen from Egypt is currently working on enhancing nanomaterial properties for the preservation of black and white photographs. Fulbright Australia Fulbright Brazil Binational Fulbright Commission In Egypt

The fourth cohort of #Fulbright Arctic Initiative (FAI IV) scholars kicked off their 18-month program with a week of meetings in Norway! 🏔️❄️ The twenty scholars planned for their their collaborative, multi-disciplinary group research through workshops on intercultural communication, science diplomacy, and the preparation of policy briefs. They also met with stakeholders and prominent Arctic experts in Norway to gather insights in shared priority areas of climate, regional security, and health and well-being. While learning from experts from UiT Norges arktiske universitet in Tromsø and Alta to contextualize their research, the scholars learned about the “two-eye see” approach, incorporating one “eye” from Indigenous Sámi knowledge and one “eye” from western knowledge. Wishing the best to the Fulbright Scholars as they develop policies and advance research with a safe, healthy, prosperous, and sustainable Arctic in mind! Learn more about FAI and see where else the Scholars visited in Norway: https://bit.ly/3ByWOHj US-Norway Fulbright Foundation Fulbright Canada Fulbright Denmark Fulbright Finland Fulbright Commission Iceland Fulbright Commission Sweden

🗺️ 🚗 💨 Yewande Addie and Oyin Aderoba, #Fulbright U.S. Student Alumni Ambassadors, hit the road to visit Virginia-based HBCUs! At Virginia State University, Hampton University and Norfolk State University, Yewande and Oyin shared lessons and highlights from their own Fulbright experience. They also presented on application timeline and eligibility, during which Oyin acknowledged that applying for a Fulbright could seem daunting. However, she realized that by being "physical representations of what they have the ability to achieve," #HBCU students could envision themselves as Fulbrighters. 💬 "Representation really does matter. I am honored that I get to be a part of the work being done to ensure that Fulbright builds off of the mission of HBCUs and to ensure that Fulbrighters across the globe are representations of the United States which must include the pride, history, and excellence that is within Historically Black Colleges."