Fulbright Program Sends Mavericks Across the Globe

OMAHA – As Spring semester comes to a close, some University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) students are looking forward to continuing their education with an international adventure. Others are currently studying abroad, right here in Omaha.

For years, the Fulbright program has been a key resource in sending Mavericks across the globe and bringing new students to our campus, allowing students and professors to explore different cultures, exchange ideas and establish valuable academic partnerships.

This year is no different.

The following stories highlight a wide range of Mavericks who made it through the competitive process to join the distinguished ranks of Fulbright scholars.

Back to Turkey
Considering the Variables
Home Away from Home
Teaching Sign Language in Nicaragua
Follow Your Passion
From Kabul to Omaha

Back to Turkey

After graduating this spring, Zarmina Niazie already has plans for the next academic year: she’s traveling to Turkey on a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) Award.

The town and university are still up in the air. She’ll learn the exact location and dates in the next few months.

“The uncertainty is killing me, but I'm excited for any new adventure,” Niazie said.

This will be Niazie’s second time traveling to the country. In the summer of 2015, she visited two cities in Turkey on a study abroad trip through a political science course taught by Ramazan Kilinc, PhD.

“The structure of the trip was so well-organized, so educational, so enthralling,” she said. “Dr. Kilinc worked hard to make the experience meaningful for everyone.”

After meeting another Maverick who had just finished her Fulbright ETA, Niazie decided she wanted to come back to the country through the same program.

“The people and landscape were just so compelling. The country genuinely spoke to me.”

Applying for the ETA wasn’t easy; Niazie called it brutal.

“You painstakingly list every single activity you have ever done in your life, every trip you have ever taken, every project you have ever completed,” she said.

Applying for this award requires two essays, one page each. Sound easy? Think again. Applicants have to use that limited space to convince both the U.S. Fulbright committee and the host country committee that they’re the right applicant for the award.

Niazie’s advice: Start early and know “the waiting is the most difficult.”

Considering the Variables

The Chair of UNO’s Biomechanics Department, Nick Stergiou, PhD, is currently in Portugal through mid-May.

His research in human movement variability has taken him to countries in four different continents, but this is his first Fulbright experience.

Stergiou has wanted to apply to the program for years, but struggled with the idea of leaving his laboratory for an entire year. Then he learned that the Fulbright program offers funding for shorter experiences, lasting a few weeks to a month.

At colleagues’ encouragement, Stergiou applied. Not long after, he was selected for a Fulbright Specialist grant in Public/Global Health at Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco, Portugal.

“I’m hoping that we will actually be able to develop collaborations, get more people to become more knowledgeable about what we are about,” Stergiou said.

UNO’s work on human movement variability has a wide-ranging impact, with connections in various fields of research. Stergiou is visiting several universities while in Portugal, to discuss his research.

He believes international travel is valuable for any scholar, and something all scientists should consider.

“It’s always very important to communicate our ideas,” he said. “Because when you communicate ideas, you place yourself under criticism. And when you place yourself under criticism […] you become better.”

Home Away From Home

Yves Ketemwabi Shamavu’s hometown is Bukavu, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. But for the last year, UNO has been his home away from home.

The graduate student, who is studying Management Information Systems, says he applied for a Fulbright award so that he could be fully immersed in a different culture.

“My ultimate goal is to be able to share the exposure I will get in the United States with my fellow citizens back home, and not only through words, but through entrepreneurial actions that can help my local community, if not my country, develop,” Shamavu said.

The application process took him about one year. Just like the U.S., it’s very competitive in his country – with applicants’ academic records, professional experience and leadership skills all considered.

Shamavu's hard work paid off. He says studying abroad is the best thing that ever happened to him.

“People in Omaha are so hospitable and very approachable,” he said. “The education system is very different to the one I was used to, but I am adapting quite well, and I really like the approach of lecturing, as it puts the student at the center of the system, as opposed to my country where the lecturer is king, both figuratively and literally, in many instances.”

In Shamavu’s opinion, there’s no better learning experience than studying abroad.

“It paves the way to a global understanding.”

Teaching Sign Language in Nicaragua

Recent graduate Olajide Cooper leaves for Nicaragua in August. She’ll be teaching parents of deaf children Nicaraguan sign language and creating a home curriculum for them.