DePaul Student Wins Fullbright Scholarship

I had the pleasure of speaking with Amanda Samawi, recent Fullbright winner, to ask about her experience applying to the scholarship program and to get some information about what she hopes to study.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Fullbright Scholar Program, it is a government-sponsored exchange program that gives students an opportunity to study and work in another country. According to CIES.org, this is an exchange designed to promote more understanding between countries.

Read what Amanda had to say below and get an inside look into applying for a Fullbright.  Who knows?  You might be the next Fullbright scholar!

Underground – 1.      What are you studying at DePaul, and when are you graduating?

I am an English Literature and Arabic Studies double major at DePaul, and I am graduating June 2014.

U – 2.      What do you plan on studying with your Fullbright scholarship?  

With my Fulbright scholarship I will be teaching English at Arabian Gulf University, and as my project I will be meeting with Bahraini writers to translate their works into English.

U – 3.      Where will you be studying?

I will be studying in Bahrain. It’s a small island country in the eastern part of the Arab world.

U – 4.      When did you apply for it?

I began the application process approximately a year ago, in May 2013, and submitted the application in October.

U – 5.      Do you have any recommendations for students thinking about applying?

My advice for anyone thinking of applying for the Fulbright is not to talk yourself out of it. For me personally, it felt incredibly out of reach until I realized how much I wanted it. It was really easy for me to convince myself that I was not up to par with what it meant to be a Fulbright scholar. Had I given in to my doubts, I would not have this amazing opportunity to go abroad next year and do what I love.