“My time in Romania is a stained-glass window of images–the rush of the Bucharest metro, […] afternoons building furniture with a German expat named Brunhilde, the Moldovan ballerina and Ukrainian didgeridoo player who couchsurfed with me on their way through Sibiu, the attic windows staring like eyes over the squares and alleyways of Sibiu, and frosty evenings in the Piata Mare as Christmas music mingled with the scent of vin fiert—and I’m grateful for all of it.”

"I did not get to give Columbia a proper farewell last Spring, but I will do it now as a new year begins, and as I continue to unpack lessons from my time here. I arrived at Columbia full of curiosity and academic naiveté. Now I’m leaving with a collection of lessons yet to be fully revealed and distilled."

"I brought back enduring connections with colleagues and friends and a resolve to return to reconnect and continue to explore the hidden corners of Romania and maybe find my own special spot in a secluded 'sat.'"

"The idea of experiencing one of the best education systems in the world (if not the best) could be quite overwhelming. But soon I realized that this is going to be a unique opportunity to learn as much as possible, to work like never before in my academic life. And I did just that."

"Although my Fulbright cohort underwent an experience that is (hopefully) unlike any other, I loved my time in Romania and learned so much. I am so grateful to the Fulbright Program and the Romanian Commission for this incredible opportunity that I will remember for the rest of my life."

"My Fulbright experience was both influential and life changing on so many levels, to the point that – although I am a man of letters – words are not enough to describe my feelings. In what follows, I’ll try to explain what being a Fulbrighter in New York meant to me."

"My memories of my Fulbright semester are a whirlwind of colors and sensations: the whimsical architecture of Bucharest streets—familiar, yet also very much changed—the smell of coffee in Old Town, the bustle of the Gara de Nord railway station and its trains—in which I somehow spent an inordinate amount of time—the outlines of the mountains in Brasov, the arches of greenery of Rose Park in Timisoara, and the salty bitter taste of the Black Sea on a scorching hot weekend in June."

"Being able to learn from such experienced people about how they started their entrepreneurial initiatives, how they’ve grown, what worked for them and what didn’t was a huge opportunity for me and my colleagues."

"In all, I feel fulfilled despite a truncated Fulbright experience. Thankfully, I got a taste of all my goals, in some fashion, before the pandemic. And it’s only a matter of time before I come back to fully explore Romania and Europe, hand-in-hand with my fellow colleagues and friends."

"My Fulbright visit at Rutgers has offered amazing opportunities not only to present my work in the area of Human-Animal Interactions to some of the faculties of Rutgers University and SSW students, but also to establish valuable connections for future collaborations."

"My time as a Fulbrighter was about so much more than the research I was honored to work on. It was about building lasting relationships, learning about Romanian culture, and sharing my experiences with friends."