Romanian Alumni Stories
Thanks to the Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program, my experience was beyond my wildest dreams. When we hear about the 'American Dream,' we can only imagine what it takes or how one could be 'good enough' to be part of that dream. But this journey, offered by the Fulbright Commission, seems to be not only a bridge between cultures but also one between reality and the realm of dreams. Once you find yourself on that bridge, you can feel the most important values of humanity: trust, kindness, stability, honor, care, responsibility, and hope.
My Fulbright experience at UW Madison, Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences, in the field of animal welfare has profoundly changed my life. I am deeply grateful to my colleagues and PI for their unwavering support and guidance throughout this journey. Their expertise and encouragement have enriched my learning and research experience beyond measure.
"It is about conveying messages, people, and ways for new learning to become possible. It is about a collective resultant and a meaningful community of learning, where diversity accelerates everything, bringing individual projects and work to places where imagining future(s) is possible."
"The Fulbright experience broadened my perspectives and offered valuable insights and connections for my future academic pursuits. Moreover, it inspired ideas that I intend to implement at my university."
"There are many different ways in which Fulbright has enriched my life. I participated in classes, workshops, and presentations, applied advanced new methods in my research, and even attended the largest and most important conference on international education in the world. Yet, in retrospect, the aspect that mattered the most was that I encountered an engaged, diverse, and welcoming academic community."
Fulbright is not just about research and academic events. At least for me, it was also about meeting new people, experiencing the local food, trying to understand different values. For two months my wife and daughter (she is 9) were in Athens with me, and together we were able to travel to Orlando, San Francisco, and Washington. The experiences we had together were extraordinary, and my daughter was impressed enough to declare that she plans to come to college at UGA, probably around 2032.
"Writing about my Fulbright experience in the past tense is probably one of the hardest things I had to do in my adult life, not because I am unable to, nor am I the type of person who easily becomes overly nostalgic, but simply because it was an experience I would have never wanted to end. The further in time I get from it, the more I feel how it has changed me, how spending forty-five days immersed in such a transformative environment turned me into an even more focused professional, a better teacher and overall, an improved human being."
I am very thankful and proud of my Fulbright Scholarship, this was the gateway for my first time in the United States of America and to gaining a fantastic insight into entrepreneurial culture. [...] I feel I have an improved mindset and plan to apply, shift and transfer some of this added value in the years to come in all my career projects.
"There are not enough words to express my ground-breaking experience in the US. I will be forever grateful for this amazing opportunity and I warmly recommend the Fulbright Program in its entirety as one of the best academic experiences possible."
Living and researching in the U.S. as a Fulbright scholar representing Romania is a life-changing experience, and I truly believe that any student, teacher or researcher should apply. This is an effective way we could use to bring about change in our academic system, both by enriching our education and by developing new educational and cultural relationships.