From South America to the Middle East, they are the best of the best international students — and 13 of them are studying or conducting research at Binghamton University this year.
They are known as International Fulbright Scholars, students who are awarded grants to come to the United States.
The Fulbright Program is the largest U.S. exchange program that gives out scholarships to American students and professionals to earn graduate degrees, conduct advanced research and teach at universities worldwide, while bringing people from other countries to do the same in the U.S.
“The Fulbright is one of the most prestigious awards you can receive in the academe,” said Ellen H. Badger, director of international student and scholar services at BU. “These students are the top students, and it’s a privilege for Binghamton University to have them.”
The program was established by Congress in 1946 and named after the founder, Senator William J. Fulbright. In the 60 years since the creation of the program, over 270,000 people have participated at a cost of about $250 million per year, most of which is appropriated by Congress.
Badger said that eight new Fulbrighters came to BU this year, which is the largest addition the University has seen in a long time.
One such student is a researcher from Turkey, Senem Zeybekoglu.
Zeybekoglu, a student working toward a doctorate in architecture at Yildiz Technical University in Istanbul, received a one-year Fulbright grant to research urbanization and its effects on public space in that city. She is planning to compare urbanization projects in the United States and Turkey.
“I’m really happy to be here and be a part of this international environment,” she said. “BU has a great variety of people and cultures.”
Ban S. Salih, a student from Baghdad who is getting a master’s degree in English at BU, said that the Fulbright program is allowing her to study literature in an English-speaking country, something that she always wanted to do.
“In Saddam’s time, I wouldn’t be able to travel to America,” Salih said. “But after the toppling [of the Iraqi government], the country was opened. I was lucky to get an opportunity to go abroad [and] I would like to take advantage of every part of it.”
Zeybekoglu said that her favorite thing about BU is the amount of resources that are available to attendees.
“Your library loan system is like a dream for me, because there are a lot of materials,” she said. “You can read them at any time [and] access things from other libraries.”
Johan Rodriquez, a student from Venezuela who is attending BU for his master’s degree in anthropology, also praised BU’s resources, but was particularly impressed with the size and research of the anthropology department.
“I think I’m the only one in my country trying to establish some social differences in animal consumption … from human bones and animal bones.” Rodriquez said. “But here in Binghamton, there’s an entire laboratory dedicated to this kind of analysis.”
All three Fulbrighters said that at first, American culture and customs took them by surprise.
“I thought Americans would [avoid] contact with foreigners … but it’s not like that at all,” Zeybekoglu said. “One day I was [at] the market; I had a lot of bags and this lady — just by seeing me in that condition — asked me if she could give me a lift. In Turkey, very rarely do you hear of such kind of help.”
Rodriquez said that he learned to respect people’s space in the U.S. because, unlike Venezuelans, Americans are not used to greeting each other and saying goodbye with a hug or a kiss.
“In a natural way, I tried to kiss a girl on the cheek when we met the first time and also when saying goodbye,” he said. “She kind of [moved away].”
One of the main goals of the Fulbright program is to generate acceptance and respect between Americans and people of other countries in order to promote peace and dismantle stereotypes.
Salih said that one Fulbright director told her she has to act as a “cultural ambassador,” both in the U.S. and when she returns to Baghdad.
“Sometimes students are shocked when they hear I’m from Iraq,” she said. “They think all Iraqis are resisting. You don’t see killings everywhere [in Iraq]; the media exaggerates. Many Iraqis are open-minded and educated. If you go and mix with them in the Green Zone, you’ll be astonished.”
Salih, Zeybekoglu and Rodriguez all agreed that experiences at BU will help them in their studies at home and allow them to improve their countries.
“We need the English language for means of correspondence and mutual understanding,” Salih said. “I want to participate in [the] rebuilding of my country … in ways to make people live peacefully, without thinking of hatred.”