Fulbright Fellowship Advising Program
A new Fulbright Fellowship Advising program has been created at Soka University of America, to help advise students who are interested in being part of the Fulbright program, which awards grants to conduct research and teach English in more than 140 countries. The program was initiated by Bryan Penprase, dean of faculty, who appointed SUA anthropology professor Sarah England as the inaugural Fulbright advisor, with the support from SUA VPAA Edward Feasel. Professor England in her first year as Fulbright advisor was able to advise eight SUA students who completed applications for Fulbright fellowships in six different countries (Spain, Colombia, Indonesia, France, South Korea, and Portugal). Of these eight students who applied, six reached semi-finalist status, where the Fulbright commission recommends them to the host country. Of those six finalists, two were granted Fulbright Fellowships. The two SUA Fulbright recipients for 2019 are Sofia Dugas, who will be an English teaching assistant in Medellin, Columbia, and Miranda Almeida, who will be an English teaching assistant in Spain. The other applicants include Jessica Lee, Celeste Marquez, Suzanna Stockey, Zoe Frye, Michael Note, and Khyla Horton.
The Fulbright US Student Program is designed specifically for US citizen students with a degree from a US university to study, research, engage in an artistic activity, and teach English abroad. Grants are for one year and follow the US academic calendar. The program includes fellowships for research in one of 140 participating countries, or fellowships enabling students to serve as a teaching assistant in one of 75 participating countries. Fulbright awardees are also expected to carry out some form of community engagement project in addition to their research or teaching.
Soka University of America, with its commitment to developing global citizens, is an ideal training ground for students interested in Fulbright and other international fellowships. After the success of the inaugural year of SUA’s Fulbright Advising program, new workshops are being planned for students to apply next year. In the next round, we are hopeful to have even more applicants, and we will also help advise our domestic and international students interested in fellowships through the Princeton in Asia/Africa/Latin America programs, which offer a similar opportunity to work abroad to help NGOs and educators in a wide variety of countries.
Photo Courtesy of Soka University Archivist and Photographer.