For students looking to study abroad for their research projects, Sonoma State University is here to help. On Feb. 27, Sonoma State will be hosting a Fulbright workshop in International Hall Room 104 from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. Applicants for the Fulbright U.S. Students program include recent graduates, and young professionals, including writers, performing artists, journalists, and those in law, business and other professional fields.

According to Fulbright’s website, Fulbright is the “…largest U.S. exchange program offering opportunities for students and young professionals to undertake international graduate study, advanced research, university teaching, and primary and secondary school teaching worldwide.”

 Fulbright students travel all over the world, ranging from the East Asian-Pacific to the Western Hemisphere. The Fulbright U.S. student program offers grants for students who want to participate in independent study or research projects, and for English Teaching Programs. 

The Fulbright website also states, “During their grants, Fulbrighters will meet, work, live with, and learn from the people of the host country, sharing daily experiences.  The program facilitates cultural exchange through direct interaction on an individual basis in the classroom, field, home, and in routine tasks, allowing the grantee to gain an appreciation of others’ viewpoints and beliefs, the way they do things, and the way they think.”

Hope Emry Ortiz, study away programs coordinator, will be responsible for this semester’s workshop. The workshop will be discussing Fulbrights many opportunities, how to complete the application, and tips on how to make your own application stand out. The workshop will introduce Seawolves to the Fulbright website, and show students the major steps in order to successfully complete and understand which study, research, or teaching award that you have the chance of receiving. 

Students will also have the opportunity to ask questions to a Sonoma State student who is a semi-finalist. 

Fulbright has given the opportunity to study off shores and broaden their horizons to many.

Fulbright Alumni Ambassador, Katherine Bowden, graduated from Gordon College and traveled to Kerala, India through the Fulbright Program, furthering her education in History. According to her Fulbright profile, while spending her time in India she, “…lived in a community with Syriac-speaking priests and monks. In addition to taking classes and attending prayers, she visited over one hundred ancient churches to catalogue Syriac inscriptions.” 

After her experience through the Fulbright Program, she returned to the United States and was hired as a research and data analyst at Cushman & Wakefield in New York City. 

Kalina Silverman, Fulbright alumni ambassador, graduated from Northwestern University and traveled to Singapore, studying Communications through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. Originally from California, Silverman earned a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism at Northwestern.

During her time at Fulbright she conducted a research project called, “How to use ‘Big Talk’ to establish empathy across cultures.” According to the Fulbright website, this project led her to, “…interview and present speeches to local citizens, social media influencers, migrant workers, business people, expats, students, religious community members, and strangers throughout Singapore. ‘Big Talk’ is a communications approach focused on skipping small talk and asking deeper questions to build more meaningful connections with people from all walks of life.” 

Silverman found certain Big Talk style questions, such as ‘‘What has been your favorite age so far and why?”, “What do you hope for?”, and “What do you miss?” were relatable questions to ask throughout unrelated cultures giving people with different backgrounds more to discuss. While in Singapore, Silverman also was featured on NBC and she is currently expanding her research to all platforms.

Sonoma State received the honor of having two students attend this doctorate program. In 1983, Michael Spector, a musicology major, traveled to Austria to further his learning on the subject. Some time later, in 1995, Preston L. Jones traveled to Canada to further his studies in History, focusing on French Canada and the American Civil War. 

“The workshop is a part of Go Global! Week, and there will be events happening throughout the whole week to help students who are interested in studying abroad,” said Ortiz.

 If adventurous Seawolves are looking for something similar to this event, be sure to check out what else is taking place as a part of Go Global! Week. 

On Feb. 25 from 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Go Global! Fest will be taking place in Student Center Ballroom C. On Feb. 26 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Salazar Quad, the Hot Cocoa and Study Away tabling event will be taking place to answer any questions about studying abroad and will also give students the opportunity to grab a free cup of hot cocoa. Lastly, also on Feb. 26, at 1 p.m. in International Hall Room 104, the Financing Study Away Workshop will help students learn about ways to fund and get ready financially to study abroad.