Once a Fulbrighter, Always a Fulbrighter
The Fulbright Experience: One Journey, Countless Chapters
I can't remember how many opportunities I have missed in my life just because I was afraid to try. Although being afraid of failure is a common feeling, I learnt with time that the feeling of regret is much worse. Never had I ever applied for a scholarship before, and I was not sure If my profile was good enough to be considered. Certaninly, I had graduated from college with honors, and I had been working at a top company in my field. I had to take the leap of faith. Some weeks after submitting my application, here I was ready to face a committee of the Fulbright Peru Commision. My interview took place on June 26th, 2020. I was nervous, but I had prepared myself for this moment. I thought, this would be the best birthday gift ever.
Fig 1. My Personal Interview
From left to right: Laura Balbuena Gonzalez, Diana Costa Montañez, Netty Malca Pérez and Roque Benavides Ganoza.
Day D
On July 9th, 2020, I would receive the call I had been waiting for. Laura Balbuena, Executive Director of the Fulbright Peru Commision, was on the line and I was being offered a Fulbright scholarship to pursue a Master's degree in the United States. Because I submitted my application shortly before the deadline and this was the first time I was ever applying to any scholarship, I had kept my expectations relatively low. I must admit I was certainly in shock. I was going to the US! Fate had smiled upon me. Needless to say, my mum was the first to know the news from me.
Fig 2. A missed call on Whatsapp
Ironically, and just for the record, I missed the very first call. But as soon as I saw who was calling I knew what was coming. Luckily, there was a second call that I would not miss. I can only imagine how rewarding it has to be for them to know that they are changing the lives of so many people every year. And I guess that is the beauty of the Fulbright Program. It is not just about the scholarship, it is about the people. My cohort was quite diverse, and it pleased me to realize I was among a group of fellows that had quite impressive records. As usual, there was a bit of imposter syndrome going on, but I guess it has always worked out for me. A huge dose of motivation.
The Application Process
Shortly after the call, we would begin the process of applying to the universities. I had already done some research on the universities I was interested in, but we were somewhat restricted by the Terms & Conditions of the grant. Because the stipend had a cap, we had to be careful with the tuition fees, so only universities willing to offer full coverage could be considered (if one did not want to pay the difference out of pocket). I figured there was only two ways to fulfill this requirement: either the university had to offer me an appointment, or a fellowship. Fellowships are rare, and appointments are usually offered to PhD students. Reaching out to prospective Professors I wanted to work with proved to be useful. I would like to highlight the attention I received from Dr. Imad L. Al-Qadi, from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and Dr. Amit Bhasin, from the University of Texas at Austin, who showed genuine interest in my profile and dedicated time to follow up on my application.
Upon completion of all my applications, all that was left to do was to wait, patiently. I received admission letters from every college I applied to: the University of California Berkeley, the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, the University of Texas at Austin, Rice University, and the University of Illinois, Chicago. Sadly, I had to decline Berkeley's offer as they did not offer me enough financial support. Looking back, if that hadn't been a problem, I would have probably ended up specializing in Transportation Systems instead, which is not exactly my cup of tea. Under this scenario, Illinois arised as the most attractive option. I was offered a full tuition waiver, a monthly stipend, and a research assistantship. On top of that, my advisor would be a widely-recognized transportation professional, and the Director of the Illinois Center for Transportation, with an extensive record of publications and research projects. I was sold.
Fig 3. Fulbright Peru Grantees (Cohort 2021)
I wish you could all see our smiles, but it was a tough year and we were just getting back to normal after the pandemic
After making a decision, the pre-departure preparations started. I decided to quit my job to spend more time at home with my family. I had been working for several years, and I never really took vacations so this seemed to be the perfect opportunity to do so. On July 24th, 2021, I had the chance to meet the members of my cohort for the first time. We were all excited!
Next Stop: Illinois
Fig 4. The ICT Team
I was introduced to the research team at the Illinois Center for Transportation on June 7th, 2021, and this is where my journey started (I would confess Lama sometime later, that I felt attracted to her ever since). Weekly meetings were still being held online at that time, but everybody was getting ready to return to the office as the university announced its plans to resume in-person activities. I was excited to meet everyone in person, and I was looking forward to the day I would finally arrive in Illinois.
Last updated on August 14th, 2023
