As we head into 2024, we asked Fulbright Specialist Program alums look back on their time as Fulbrighters and share mementos that express what they mean to them.

“This experience broadened my understanding of global educational needs, enriching my own work with fresh insight.”

“Fulbright allowed me to understand that I was making the right decision to engage with this amazing Deaf community and bring some of my Deaf and hearing professor friends along for the ride.”

“Fulbright helped me learn and bring back some [new] practices, or recognize where I can grow in my practice.”

“Many of my students are first-generation Americans - because we are a community college, we are also allowed to accept students who do not have legal status in the United States – and I have a wide range of students from Africa, the Caribbean, South America, Europe. I think it’s helpful to talk about my [Fulbright] experience so they realize that I understand what it’s like to be somewhere and feel different based on your culture or your language.”

“Fulbright Specialists are a wonderful way to strengthen the friendships between our country and other countries of the world. Being able to share this wealth of knowledge and people and our culture to other parts of the world is invaluable. Just to show people the humanity of the American soul, the intellectual exchange that can take place, and the openness that many Americans have towards other cultures - I think it’s crucial.”

In 2021, the Fulbright Specialist Program celebrated the 75th anniversary of the Fulbright Program through a virtual event that highlighted how Fulbrighters are leading the way to build connections in a complex and changing world.

“[The Fulbright Specialist Program] was a fantastic learning opportunity that broadened my perspective of STEM education and helped me step outside my cultural assumptions.”

“It's a different relationship, it’s a different way of doing research, which I think the Fulbright Program is so critical for: global understanding…. I would have never gotten here without Fulbright.”

“[Fulbright] has been an amazing and eye-opening experience to learn firsthand the challenges faced by faculty worldwide and how their cultures both enhance and challenge their academic work.”

“The Fulbright Specialist Program gives one opportunities for building deep, more than single dimension relationships with colleagues across countries... It really does change your career and the viewpoints you can bring to your job at home in the United States.”

“There is no typical day as a Fulbrighter... you need to approach it not just as “What I can do?” but “What can I do with others?” and view your engagement with this guiding philosophy.”

'“My first-hand understanding of humanity took an exponential jump for the common good.”

“The more I share my skills and experience around the world, the more I am able to reflect on the diversity of challenges faced, which further strengthens my own research and teaching endeavors.”

“My Fulbright Specialist grant was the first step in making [my dreams] a reality.”

"It seemed like a great opportunity to work with someone like-minded who had already done so much with few resources."

“[Fulbright] is not just great for lawyers but also for judges and other members of the legal community…the skills many lawyers have built over their professional careers would be valued in other countries.”

"This is not meant to be a one-way street, mentors have much to learn from their mentees."

“[The Fulbright Specialist Program] gave me the opportunity for a deep dive in an exciting new place.”

“What I learned as a Fulbright Specialist, I was able to bring back to my current job in the U.S. and help my students in Seattle get real-world entrepreneurial experience.”

“This experience has allowed me to see that many minorities in different countries often experience the same challenges, although each country has unique issues as well.”

“We were looking for contemporary hands-on experience for our students. We definitely got it.”

“The experience had a huge impact on me personally and professionally.”

"I never felt that I was teaching; I always thought that I was learning."

"It was an incredible experience. Even though it's short, there is a professional network ready to work with you." 

"Ideas are not a one way street."

"The work in South Africa is bringing home — quite literally — to my students, colleagues, and projects a sense of connection and immediacy with our local community and local needs."

"The Fulbright Specialist Program provided us with the opportunity to work one-on-one and try to kindle cross border cooperation in a more sustained way."

"It’s not enough that a child learns how to walk; they need to learn how to walk to school. That was the awareness I was trying to highlight."

"The experience can reenergize you in ways that you didn’t know you needed." 

"It is something that will inform what I do with the rest of my life."

"It taught me what the world looks like from another point of view."

“I could have never gotten off for a semester. This was a game-changer.”