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Two days before being awarded the Fulbright scholarship, SU senior Gretchen Coleman was touring a graduate school in Alabama. Though she worked on her application for a study grant to the University of Manchester for most of 2021, she said the news felt very sudden.

“(Because of its prestige), I was operating on the fact that it wasn’t going to happen, so I pivoted to where I wanted to go to the U.S. for grad school,” said Coleman, a political science and political philosophy major. “I’m thrilled, and still stunned.”

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is an academic and cultural exchange program that partners with over 140 countries internationally to fund study and research grants, according to the website. On April 26, 10 SU students and alumni were named recipients of the award.

“Even without the Fulbright, I am so grateful that I applied because I think I’m better able to understand the impact I want to make in the world,” Coleman said.

Students can either apply for an English Teaching Assistantship, a Study/Research Academic Award or Study/Research Creative & Performing Arts Award, each of which have unique application components, according to the Fulbright Program’s website. Students interested in applying for Fulbright must first contact their university’s Fulbright adviser.

At SU, students can apply through the Center for Fellowship & Scholarship Advising using an interest form through their website. Coleman credits her successful application to her involvement with CFSA.

Coleman, who will be attending the University of Manchester’s one-year political science MA program on a democracy and elections track, has been working with CFSA Director Jolynn Parker since her freshman year. She said Parker’s insight into bringing an international perspective into a career in U.S. election reform was instrumental in her decision to apply.

Alexa Neely, a senior double major in policy studies and citizenship and civic engagement, received a scholarship from Fulbright for an English Teaching Assistantship in North Macedonia.

Alexa Neely is a senior double major in policy studies and citizen and civic engagement who will be teaching English in North Macedonia.
Curtesy of Alexa Neely

Neely said she learned about the opportunity through CFSA Assistant Director Melissa Welshans and then met with Parker every two weeks while working on the application.

For Neely, the Fulbright program fulfilled both her desire to be abroad after graduating and connect with a community of people with similar drive. Neely said that North Macedonia checked all the boxes for her destination options in terms of regional culture and geographical location.

“I am really excited to live in a place for a longer period of time, to feel like I’m traveling but not always on the move,” Neely said. “Being a TA at SU and tutoring always gave me gratification, so to continue with that after graduation is something I’m really looking forward to.”

Neely, a food studies minor, wants to work on cultural exchange projects related to food access and inequities in Macedonia. She said she hopes to get involved with local organizations that deal with food waste in the region.

As a northern California native, Neely is also looking forward to having access to more natural spaces for hiking and spending time outdoors, she said.

“I feel like I’ve missed being outside, so often, so I’m looking forward to the balance of being in a city but close to nature,” she said. “It can be hard to find opportunities like that in Europe sometimes.”

Alumna Taylor Krzeminski received the same award as Neely to teach English in Poland. Krzeminski graduated from SU with a B.A. in international relations and citizenship and civic engagement in 2020, and earned a master’s degree in public diplomacy and global communication from SU in 2021. Krzeminski planned to use her Fulbright scholarship to conduct research on women in STEM and food justice in Poland while teaching English.

Alumni Taylor Krzeminski graduated from SU with a BA in international relations and citizenship and civic engagement in 2020 and earned a master’s degree in public diplomacy and global communication from SU in 2021.
Curtesy of Taylor Krzeminski

Krzeminski declined the award, citing a long buffer period between submitting her applications in the summer of 2021 and hearing back from the program nearly a year later. She will not be traveling to Poland, the location she applied for.

“Because the award is so competitive, they tell you not to assume you are going to get it, and now I have a full time job and a life,” Krzeminski said. “To me, it didn’t feel like the right decision. I’ve already lived abroad before, I really feel like the opportunity should go to someone who really wants it.”

Even so, Krzeminski said that she was honored to be validated for her work through being offered a spot in the program. In the future, she says she hopes to continue to work with a community organization focused on environmental justice.

“They’re recognizing not only your academic success but also your commitment to community and leaving this world a better place than when you entered it,” Krzeminski said. “It’s a great affirmation that you’re doing amazing things, and that they want to support you in continuing to do them.”

Published on May 5, 2022 at 12:50 am