The Fulbright

What is a Fulbright? That was often the question from people when they heard about my grant to do my dissertation research in Spain.

There is the official answer.

The Fulbright Program was started in 1946, and its name comes from the Arkansas senator J. William Fulbright who introduced the bill in September of 1945. The date is important. It is the same month that World War II ended. The objective of the Fulbright Program is to promote international understanding and cooperation, and its grants support coursework, research and teaching of approximately 1500 students each year in over 155 countries. According to its government website (http://fulbright.state.gov/), “Fulbright is the most widely recognized and prestigious international exchange program in the world.”

This is the 50th anniversary of the program in Spain, and they are proud of its growth over the years. While initially the United States funded scholars in Spain, that is no longer true, and Spain is hosting 22 researchers this year and a large number teaching assistants. The Fulbright Committee in Spain encourages community involvement and supports those who have come to study and teach.

What was the process?

For me, the process started by receiving an e-mail and choosing to attend an informational lecture about the Fulbright Program at UC Davis. Then, during the summer and fall of 2007 I worked on my application for a Fulbright research grant and a Program for Cultural Cooperation (PCC) scholarship to do my dissertation research in Spain. This involved many of the typical application requirements–recommendation letters, a language evaluation, academic information and transcripts. I also wrote and translated a proposal and personal statement, and I had to set up contacts in the host country with people with whom I could work and obtain letters of affiliation from them. It was a long process, and in September there were interviews with a committee on our campus who also provided advice. I was fortunate to have had the help of many people throughout the application process–writing letters, evaluating my language skills, revising my proposals, and helping me polish the language in English and Spanish. I am thankful for how their support strengthened my application.

In April, I received the news that I had received the grant. While Puck and I had already been trying to plan for the eventualities, suddenly our life was set on a determined path for the next year–passports, visas, storage unit, packing, plane tickets, and travel plans. Before applying I had spoken with my parents about taking in our Great Dane Shakti for the year. We knew she would be horribly spoiled and well cared for with them. There were many uncertainties in preparations, and the Visa process can be a bit stressful. Still, we took pleasure in each step forward, and I was lucky to have a supportive husband willing to go on this adventure with me even though he’s never had a Spanish class.

Our trip to Spain included a number of our friends helping us with plans, packing and storage, and our dear friend Cindy flew out to make the road trip to Oklahoma with us–with a short detour to see the Grand Canyon. We also had two weeks in Oklahoma to visit family before flying to Spain, and that flight was just another beginning.

What does the Fulbright mean to me?

I recently attended a concert in which past and current Fulbrighters performed to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the program here in Spain. During the ceremonies, the coordinator Grover Wilkins spoke movingly of his Fulbright experiences, of the trust that they place in those selected to pursue their interests and forge connections while also giving them the flexibility to grow in unexpected ways. It is a trust, and I am honored to be among those selected. The Fulbright provides me the opportunity to spend hours and days in libraries and archives in Spain, to train with fencers in Madrid, to live in another country, to share these experiences with my husband, and to meet academics, fencers and others during this year. I can’t fully capture what the Fulbright means to me, but I will share some of it here on this blog by writing about my experiences.