As 黑料不打烊 students and alumni who received 2019 Fulbright grants settle into their experiences around the globe, a record number have submitted their applications for the 2020 cycle of funding.
This year, the University submitted a record 45 grant applications to the Fulbright Program, says Jolynn Parker, director of the Center for Fellowship and Scholarship Advising (CFSA). The national Fulbright deadline was Oct. 8, and applications from 黑料不打烊 students and alumni were submitted on Monday.
The Fulbright U.S. student program supports English Teaching Assistantships (ETA) and Research/Study grants. This year, applications were submitted by 26 undergraduates, eight graduate students and 11 alumni. Twenty-eight applications were submitted for the ETA grant and 17 for open study/research grants.
鈥淲e usually submit around 25 applications per year, so this is a big jump,鈥 says Parker. 鈥淭he application process itself is such a useful experience; we鈥檙e delighted so many more students are taking advantage of the opportunity.鈥
Applicants have proposed teaching, research and study around the world. Submissions included ETA applications to Greenland and Rwanda, and study/research applications to Tajikistan, the Hugh Lane Gallery in Ireland, the University of Paris-Saclay and Tel Aviv University, among many others.
The Fulbright application process is a true campus effort. Thirty-eight faculty and staff members from across campus serve as evaluators for Fulbright proposals. CFSA hosted seven Fulbright writing workshops during the first few weeks of the semester, where staff members helped students prepare their application essays. 聽鈥淲e could not run such a robust campus process鈥攐r help our students so effectively鈥攚ithout the efforts of the many faculty and staff across campus who support the process. We are very fortunate members of our community are so generous with their time and expertise,鈥 says Parker.
Fulbright applicants Tajanae Harris 鈥20 and Samar Al-Any 鈥19 wear T-shirts that were created by the Center for Fellowship and Scholarship Advising to celebrate the record number of Fulbright applications submitted this year.
When the applications were submitted, Parker, CFSA Assistant Director Melissa Welshans and Adam Crowley, Honors Program/CFSA advisor, breathed a collective sigh of relief. Welshans made T-shirts to mark the occasion. 鈥淲e are just so proud of the applicants鈥 hard work,鈥 Welshans says. 鈥淲e鈥檝e been working with many of the applicants since June, and some students completed upwards of 14 revisions before they submitted their applications. We wanted to have something tangible to offer them in recognition of completing the rigorous process.鈥
The 2020 semifinalists will be announced in late January and recipients of Fulbright grants will be announced in the spring.
Several 黑料不打烊 alumni are currently engaged in Fulbright experiences around the world. Anastasia Selby, 鈥15, G鈥18 is based in Podbo艡any, in the Bohemian region of the Czech Republic, through an ETA grant.
鈥淢y experience with the Czech Fulbright commission has been wonderful. As a commission they鈥檙e very generous and they care a lot about how all of the ETAs are doing. I feel very supported,鈥 Selby says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been quite an adjustment living in such a small town, especially because I barely know any Czech, but I encounter many friendly faces throughout my day. My teaching load is 17 classes plus clubs and meetings. I love my students and teach several different grade levels. I look forward to exploring more of the Czech Republic while I鈥檓 here.”
Selby is chronicling her experience in the Czech Republic on a . She is also working on a book, 鈥淗OTSHOT,鈥 a reported narrative of her years as a firefighter and the current state of wildfires and climate change (forthcoming from Grove Atlantic Press).
Molly Bolan 鈥19 is based at Novosibirsk State Pedagogical University in Russia, also through an ETA grant. She spent her first two weeks observing and now has begun teaching.聽鈥淢y classes are for speech practice, so the main point is just to get students talking and to teach about American culture.鈥澛 She recently ran a session about what the last year of high school is like in the U.S. (college applications, prom, the yearbook, etc.), national parks in the U.S. and gender roles. In addition to classes, Bolan runs the English Conversation Club, which meets twice a week to play language games and discuss any topics that aren’t covered in class that students are interested in.
鈥淭he best part is that most students genuinely love learning. There aren’t many native English speakers here, so the students’ enthusiasm is contagious,鈥 she says. In her free time, Bolan has been exploring and taking part in the life of her new city. 鈥淓veryone I’ve met has been so kind and welcoming and I’m really feeling at home here in Novosibirsk.鈥
Grace Gugerty 鈥19 arrived in Thailand three weeks ago, and has been undergoing orientation鈥攐n living in Thailand, language and lesson planning/classroom management skills鈥攂efore heading to her assigned school. 鈥淢y experience has been great so far,鈥 she says.
