Kaitlyn Hobson, ’16, recently returned from Thailand, where she spent a year on a Fulbright grant to serve as an English Teaching assistant. Hobson describes her time in Thailand, and her work through Fulbright, as “honestly the best experience I’ve had in my life so far.”
Kait Hobson during her Fulbright-sponsored times in Thailand
Hobson will be visiting the Syracuse campus on Friday, April 6, to participate in a Fulbright interest session hosted by the Center for Fellowship and Scholarship Advising (CFSA). She is eager to share insights and advice with current students considering an application to the Fulbright program.
The Fulbright U.S. Student Program, which is the largest U.S. exchange program with 1,900 grants awarded annually, funds students to engage in international study, research and teaching opportunities as part of U.S. Sen. J. William Fulbright’s vision in 1945 for the “promotion of international goodwill through the exchange of students in the fields of education, culture and science.”
“Students who receive a Fulbright award work, live and learn from the people of their host country during the period of their grants, whether they are teaching English abroad, enrolled in courses or conducting research,” says Jolynn Parker, director of CFSA and a campus Fulbright program advisor. “For students interested in international engagement, the Fulbright is an unmatched opportunity for a year of support to live and learn abroad.”
Graduating seniors, graduate students and alumni are eligible to apply for Fulbright grants. Applications are due in the fall each year, and Syracuse University applicants are endorsed through a campus evaluation process, administered by CFSA.
CFSA will host two interest sessions this spring designed to provide information on the application process:
Friday, April 6, 11 a.m.-noon, 032 Eggers
Thursday, April 12, noon-1 .pm., 306A Bowne (inside the Honors Suite)
The interest sessions will introduce students to the different kinds of Fulbright grants and strategies for researching them, application components and advice for approaching the application essays.
“The most important thing a Fulbright applicant can do is start early,” says Parker. “It helps so much when students and alumni let us know in the spring that they’re planning to submit a Fulbright application in the fall. We have a number of resources to support them as they put their materials together.”
Current undergraduate, graduate students and alumni are welcome at the interest sessions. Questions should be directed to the Center for Fellowship and Scholarship Advising (315.443.2759, jmpark02@syr.edu).
