Category: On the Road

Ambassadors Storm DC

In Washington, DC with fellow Fulbright Scholar Alumni Ambassadors Prof. Guenet Abraham from University of Maryland, Prof. Priya Menon from Troy University, and Prof. Vanessa Mari from Nevada State College.

Fellow Fulbright Scholar Alumni Ambassador Prof. Vanessa Mari is on TikTok. She grabbed a few of us at our recent meeting in DC to ask impromptu questions about applying for a Fulbright Award. My question was, How did you approach the application? Here’s my answer (and transcript). If you’re thinking of applying, check out Vanessa’s other awesome TikTok vids.

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“Hi, I’m Jeffrey Stanley. I’m an adjunct faculty at NYU Tisch School of
the Arts and at Drexel University. I was a Fulbright-Nehru Scholar in
2018-19, researching early 20th century Bengali film and theatre and
their impact on India’s nascent Independence Movement.

My tip for YOU regarding the application: take it seriously, tell a
story about YOURSELF, take some time with it. It’s not a quick form
you’re going to fill out and then your bio is going to ride you through
the application process. You are telling about YOURSELF. They have your
bio, they have your CV. What else do you want them to know about why
this trip is important to you, and why your work will be important to
the world afterward.”

An Unforgettable Night in DC

Bono, of course. Behind him to the left in the white mask is Dr. Anthony Fauci.

Last night I had the pleasure of representing Drexel University’s Westphal College of Media Arts & Design and Drexel’s Office of Global Engagement at the star-studded 2021 Fulbright Prize for International Understanding ceremony in our nation’s capital. This year, the award went to Bono in case you haven’t already figured that out.

My red carpet moment.

You can watch the entire inspiring ceremony below.

Myself with Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Ethan Rosenzweig (center) and fellow Fulbright Alumni Ambassador Prof. Jeffrey B. Johnson from Boise State University.
Myself with Prof. Johnson and IIE Co-President A. Sarah Ilchman. The IIE is the Institute of International Education, a global nonprofit that administers the Fulbright program for the US State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

Bono’s jaw-dropping speech starts around 59:20 (the link is cued up for you). He is introduced by the Director General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), the first woman and first African to hold the position, Dr. Ngozi Okon-Jo-Iweala.