By Alexis Alvarez, Nov 19, 2024
For the first time since its opening, Cal Poly Pomona was chosen for the 2024 renowned Fulbright Hispanic Serving Institution Leaders list at the annual Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities conference Nov. 3.
The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs recognized HSIs, credible institutions of higher education with an enrollment of at least 25% undergraduate Latino students, for theactive participation of their faculty in the Fulbright Scholar Program. In the 2023-2024 school year, 13,177 undergraduate students at CPP identified as Hispanic or Latino.
The Fulbright program is an international academic exchange created in 1946.The program aims to increase mutual understanding, support and respectful relations between citizens of the United States and other countries.
CPP has had 44 faculty members involved in the Fulbright Scholar Program, and four were selected in the 2023-2024 academic year. In addition to the programs for scholars, educators and professions, the program is not limited to only faculty, but students are also able to apply ro various awards offered.students are also able to apply to varying awards offered.
One of the faculty members selected this past year, Mohamed Gomaa, an associate professor in accounting who went to study and teach at the Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology, said CPP is elevated by its involvement in the Fulbright Scholar Program because of the competitive process.
“We had four the year I went out, which very few schools would have that many Fulbright Scholars go out during the same period,” Gomaa said. “It says a lot about the quality of the intuition we have, the quality of the research.”
According to Kristen Conway-Gómez, a Fulbright Scholar in 2019 and a professor in the Department of Geography and Anthropology, being a Fulbright Scholar is an opportunity to expand knowledge and broaden personal experiences.
“When we return, we bring that back,” Conway-Gómez said. “That benefits the university, and in the case of faculty, benefits the students.”
Gomaa, the first-time Fulbright Scholar, said he didn’t understand how far different the educational systems can be in other countries. Learning a form of new perspectives changed his views on what he can do to help students at CPP.
Indira Guzman, an assistant professor in computer information systems, said being a part of the Fulbright Scholar Program is an exchange of knowledge.
Guzman is from Bolivia, and her Fulbright scholarship in 2000 allowed her to learn in the U.S. with all the latest and advancing technology, then go back and share the knowledge in her native country.
Gomaa was able to take the knowledge he learned from Egypt and apply it here at CPP, but he also left his knowledge of American culture in Egypt as well.
“I think bringing the culture that we have over there adds value to the institution and those students,” said Gomaa
According to Gomaa, going to a country that is vastly different from the U.S. teaches an individual how to work with those differences and obtain a broader perspective.
“When you come back here, you bring that with you, and when you have a multicultural university like we do, it really makes a difference in how you understand issues that may face the students that you have not been aware of before,” Gomaa said.
The Fulbright scholarship reciepients expressed what an honor it is to be selected and be a part of that exchanged knowledge because it brings value to those communities as well as their home countries.
Guzman said going out and learning among different cultures cannot be taught in a textbook, but only by experiences.
Conway-Gómez said the university being a part of this prestigious list brings cultural awareness and sensitivity, which she believes is important.
Guzman encourages all scholars to take the chance and apply to be a Fulbright Scholar, because there are opportunities and values in knowledge to be obtained. She also said she hopes students can be inspired by the faculty who have received this prestigious award, and that they too can achieve the same.
Around 800 U.S. scholars annually get selected to teach and conduct research abroad.
Other CSU universities that were also recognized as the 2024 Fulbright HSI leaders are California State University, Northridge, San Diego State University and San José State University.
Feature image courtesy of Darren Loo