Seton Hall University graduates Aidan Miller and Kylie Lan Tumiatti received Fulbright Scholarships due to their dedication and hard work aiming toward a better future. The Fulbright Program is the international exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government aimed toward building relationships between Americans and people from other countries. These relationships are built to help solve global challenges.
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The application process for these scholars began the summer before their senior year. It was an arduous process that held a lot of requirements such as questions, essays, recommendation letters, a language evaluation and an interview in the language of the country which will be visited. Despite the elongated application process, graduate Aidan Miller believes all the hard work has paid off.
“Now that I am here in Russia, I am glad to say it was worth all the effort,” Miller said.
Scholars are sent to other countries for a certain amount of time, and as soon as they step foot off the plane, they begin their mission to bridge the gap between Americans and people from other countries.
“This opportunity allows me to deconstruct stereotypes and work to achieve mutual understanding,” Miller said.
Miller said that his goal in Russia has been to teach American culture and the English language, as well as to make friendships to change the overall view people have of Americans.
A significant aspect for these scholars is the new culture and ways of life that they experience on their journey. By adapting to these cultures they are able to immerse themselves in them, such is the case with Tumiatti, when she visits Malaysia.
“I visited Malaysia before and was in love with its rich culture that showed through its architecture, food, and religious rituals,” Tumiatti said, outlining the fact that she is excited to live in a new culture.
Education is an important factor to the development of any country and their young generation.
Tumiatti says that she is looking forward to teaching young kids, “I love working with kids, so I can’t wait to meet my class and start working on lesson plans for them.”
Despite the fact that she will only work on a small scale, she is excited about the challenge to develop young minds. “One of the biggest issues I think any country faces is lack of education, it is fundamental for human capacity building and development,” Tumiatti said.
The Fulbright scholarship has placed these graduates in a position to make a difference, and they are ready for the challenge.
Jose Balderrama can be reached at jose.balderramaornelas@student.shu.edu.
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