Students interested in traveling abroad and advancing their academic careers will receive additional support from an Eastern staff member with close ties to the prestigious Fulbright U.S. Student Program. Julia DeLapp, coordinator of the Office of National Scholarships, was selected as a Fulbright Program Adviser. In this role, she will spend the next year working to expand outreach, advising practices and application assistance in hopes of helping more Eastern students attain Fulbright scholarships.

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program “provides funding for college graduates to spend eight–10 months in another country teaching English, conducting independent research or creative work, or pursuing a one-year master’s degree,” said DeLapp.

Recently selected to participate in the Fulbright Program Adviser (FPA) Development Initiative, DeLapp will receive a series of trainings over the next year to work on outreach to inform students of Fulbright opportunities. Eastern’s participation in this initiative highlights the opportunities needed for students at smaller colleges and universities to study abroad.

“The initiative is spearheaded by the Institute of International Education (IIE), which is the organization that administers the Fulbright U.S. Student Program,” explained DeLapp. “At the workshop, IIE stressed that they had chosen to invest in Eastern over the coming year because they believe we have the capacity to be successful in recruiting more students to apply for Fulbright (programs). They also emphasized how critical it is for the Fulbright student program to be representative of all the different kinds of students and institutions across the United States.”

The hope is not only that more students will apply for and potentially receive Fulbright scholarships, according to DeLapp, but also that they will become comfortable with the application process. “The process of applying is incredibly valuable – students learn so much about themselves and their goals, how to write about the connection between their experiences to date and their future goals, and how to speak effectively about their plans, as there is an interview component,” said DeLapp.

In the competitive application process, 200 advisers were invited to apply and 90 applications were received; 16 were ultimately selected. “I just returned from Houston, where I participated in a two-day workshop for the first phase of the initiative with the other 15 selected advisers,” said DeLapp.

“Last week’s workshop focused on best practices and resources for campus advising and outreach, as well as creating individual plans for our campuses. I learned a lot from the workshop leaders and my fellow advisers. The initiative will include virtual professional development over the summer, more in-person training in the fall, and additional support for our institution over the coming months.”

If selected as a Fulbright scholar, students will spend the better part of a year immersing themselves in a new culture, while also completing their own work and research. “Fulbrighters gain an understanding of other perspectives, grow their language skills (depending on where they go), and develop long-lasting friendships in other countries,” said DeLapp. “Fulbright is a very prestigious award, so it can open all kinds of doors for students, but even without the prestige, the experiences that students have while abroad will be life changing.”