When college comes to an end, many graduate students may not know exactly what to do. Luckily for them, the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affair’s Fulbright program can grant them a great educational experience to learn about different cultures and continue developing their skill sets even after graduation. A workshop presented by Outreach and Recruitment Officer Aferdita Krasniqi to learn more about this program is scheduled for April 15 at 10 a.m. in ACC106.
Fulbright is a government-funded program that gives out grants to eligible graduate students allowing them to travel to any of 140 different countries worldwide.
This program allows students to get some real-life experience working with people of a different culture and can help grow the student’s knowledge of their own studied subject, as well as learning how to accept diversity and seeing what different cultures are like.
Fulbright gives these opportunities to nearly 2,000 students annually, and according to Laurelann Easton (’19), the graduate assistant of the honors program, Fulbright has “a passion for increasing mutual understanding among nations and cultures.”
Fulbright aims to allow equal opportunity to both graduate students who live in America, as well as international students who wish to learn more about American culture. The program wishes to allow for American students to learn from international students, and for them to learn from us.
This exchange of knowledge can help both parties in the long run and, according to Easton, “In terms of what this does for you and your resume, it is really prestigious and is one of the most recognizable international programs in the world.”
Not only does this program allow students to travel abroad off a government grant, but it also allows people to bridge the gap between cultures and learn what it’s like to live somewhere else. It helps anyone who wants to learn social skills and how to work with people who are completely different from them.
“It’s not intended only for humanities and social sciences. It’s also applicable for all STEM programs. They encourage applicants from all fields, including interdisciplinary ones,” Easton said, explaining that Fulbright wants this experience for as many graduate students as possible.
Fulbright can be a very informational experience as students travel across the world and learn more about other cultures. Any students who have questions about the Fulbright program can attend the workshop on April 15, or visit https://eca.state.gov/fulbright
