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| It was an honor to represent India and participate in the 44th Annual Conference organized by Fulbright Association. |
Fulbright at 75:
Celebrating a Legacy of Global Friendships
Virtual 44th Annual Conference October 20-22, 2021
It was an honor to represent India and participate in the 44th Annual Conference organized by Fulbright Association, Washington D.C. Great to join the Fulbright community, in the U.S. and around the world, in celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the Program during the virtual conference. This virtual meet-up provided a variety of opportunities to connect with fellow Fulbright alumni, share and discuss scholarly research and explore the fascinating and multi-faceted world of art.
“Culture is this thing that we can exchange among ourselves as human beings to knock aside our differences and build upon our similarities. Cultural exchange is the ultimate exchange.”
And this is the reason why, I’ve always been excited to participate as a volunteer student in cultural exchange activities since my college days. And, this is also the reason why, as a teacher, I keep encouraging my students to take part in various culture-exchange programs.
As a Fulbright foreign language teaching assistant, I enjoyed interacting with many different types of students, faculty, staff and community members at the University of Montana. I represented India as a cultural ambassador on various occasions like festivals and cultural fairs, and also gave guest lectures on campus and at several high schools. I used my artistic talents to fundraise for many American social service groups, as well as for the university. The University’s Foreign Student and Scholar Services office recognized my efforts by rewarding me with ‘Distinguished Service and Outreach Award, 2016’.
After returning to India, I realized that I was quite fortunate to be blessed with Fulbright experience. At the same time, I was keen to make similar culture-exchange experiences available to my students too. I contacted my Fulbright friends and colleagues and started conducting virtual ‘Global Guest Talk’ events as well as online ‘Language Table’ sessions to expose my students to different cultures and personalities from the other parts of the world.
I believe Fulbright Association’s Virtual 44th Annual Conference had a brilliant theme, “Celebrating a Legacy of Global Friendships”. By participating in it, I made more global connections and trid to create more culture-exchange opportunities for my students. I think the next generation does need to learn not only to appreciate the similarities but also to respect the differences.
As a Fulbright foreign language teaching assistant, I enjoyed interacting with many different types of students, faculty, staff and community members at the University of Montana. I represented India as a cultural ambassador on various occasions like festivals and cultural fairs, and also gave guest lectures on campus and at several high schools. I used my artistic talents to fundraise for many American social service groups, as well as for the university. The University’s Foreign Student and Scholar Services office recognized my efforts by rewarding me with ‘Distinguished Service and Outreach Award, 2016’.
After returning to India, I realized that I was quite fortunate to be blessed with Fulbright experience. At the same time, I was keen to make similar culture-exchange experiences available to my students too. I contacted my Fulbright friends and colleagues and started conducting virtual ‘Global Guest Talk’ events as well as online ‘Language Table’ sessions to expose my students to different cultures and personalities from the other parts of the world.
I believe Fulbright Association’s Virtual 44th Annual Conference had a brilliant theme, “Celebrating a Legacy of Global Friendships”. By participating in it, I made more global connections and trid to create more culture-exchange opportunities for my students. I think the next generation does need to learn not only to appreciate the similarities but also to respect the differences.
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