Latest news with #FulbrightProgram
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
A cultural bridge between Ecuador and the MSU community: The resilience of Kichwa language
Elsa Caín-Yuquilema, a member of the Kichwa Puruhá ethnic group from Ecuador and a Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant at MSU from 2024 to 2025. | Photo by Erick Diaz Veliz For Elsa Caín-Yuqilema of Ecuador, language expresses one's culture and when a language is lost, its culture will also vanish, and with it, its people. To do her part in making sure that doesn't happen, Caín-Yuqilema kept her Kichwa language alive in the classrooms of Michigan State University by sharing it with community members. 'Kichwa is an endangered language, and if it ever disappears, it will be because of us: from the language not being passed down by parents to the change in traditional clothing. I believe that in Ecuador, we lack appreciation for ourselves, we Kichwa speakers,' she said. Caín-Yuqilema, 32, arrived at MSU from Ecuador a year ago, as part of a cultural and academic exchange through the Fulbright Program. Elsita, as her friends affectionately call her, embarked on this adventure once again outside her country, but this time not just as an exchange student, but also as a teacher of her culture. Through engaging classes and cultural events, Caín-Yuqilema taught Kichwa, her first language and the native tongue of the Andean peoples in South America, to undergraduate students. At the same time, alongside Indigenous student organizations, she organized cultural events for community members, never missing an opportunity to showcase a piece of the Indigenous traditions of Ecuador that she grew up with and lived with. Caín-Yuqilema has a soft and calm voice. Filling her voice with warm emotion, she shared how the MSU community has appreciated and admired every part of her culture. Every Kichwa word spoken in class, every song shared at a cultural event, is a thread she wove, connecting the two worlds: the Indigenous traditions of Ecuador and the American society. Among her students, words of excitement and gratitude are expressed at having learned about a new culture through language. They appreciated that these types of classes are offered at the university, where cultural exchange and the expansion of perspectives are encouraged through native-speaking professors from other countries. 'I looked through the MSU catalog and saw that Kichwa was being taught in person, so I was really excited to see that and kind of jumped at the opportunity to start learning. I'm so, so happy that I did. I didn't have much of a connection with Ecuador or any other South American country. I do now.', said Drake Howard, a linguistics student. 'We're really lucky at MSU to be able to take courses in a language that doesn't have very many resources online,' Howard highlighted. This process of cultural exchange made her feel much more confident about her own culture. Caín-Yuqilema belongs to the Kichwa Puruhá ethnic group, from the region of Riobamba, in the province of Chimborazo, Ecuador. She learned Kichwa from her family, passed down by her parents and grandparents, while Spanish, her second language, was taught at school and in the community. Later, as a young woman, she learned English at university. Although English and Spanish are the dominant languages in Ecuador, Kichwa has remained within her as her own. Caín-Yuqilema explained that it is common to see young people who no longer know the native language or wear traditional clothing. For many Kichwa speakers, not speaking Spanish 'properly,' as a second language, makes them subject to uncomfortable stares and corrections, even in their own country. 'After several decades of struggle by our fathers and mothers, fortunately in Ecuador, Kichwa has been more accepted by society in recent years; however, there is still much work to do,' Caín-Yuqilema said. According to UNESCO, in Andean countries with a Kichwa majority, such as Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador, there is an accelerated loss of the language, primarily due to migration and the death of speakers. Furthermore, the low appreciation for culture and language means it is not passed down from generation to generation, driven by social and cultural integration in places where Spanish is the dominant language. Despite being a vulnerable language, Kichwa, more than just a language, has become a cultural bridge that connects Indigenous roots with international academic spaces, including in Michigan. Caín-Yuqilema built and maintained that bridge by bringing with her her words, her clothing, her stories, and her worldview to the MSU community members who may have never heard about the lives of Andean peoples in South America. 'Kichwa education brought me here, and this experience has been a learning experience. I'm taking the best of education and culture from here, and I hope I've left the best of mine,' Caín-Yuqilema stated. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
The Star
21-05-2025
- Politics
- The Star
U.S. withdrawal of Finnish scholar's grant sparks concerns over academic freedom
HELSINKI, May 21 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Department of State has canceled a Fulbright scholarship awarded to a Finnish researcher, citing political misalignment with policies under President Donald Trump -- a move condemned in Finland as an affront to academic freedom, Finnish News Agency STT reported on Wednesday. Saara Loukola, a doctoral researcher at the University of Helsinki (HY), had been set to travel to the United States in September to conduct interviews for her dissertation on how American teacher education programs address racism. She had planned to adapt the findings for Finnish teacher training. However, in early May, U.S. authorities informed her that the 36,000-U.S. dollar grant had been withdrawn and her visa denied. According to Loukola, the U.S. State Department determined that her research topic was incompatible with executive orders issued by Trump. "I had a bad feeling when I heard the applications were being re-evaluated," Loukola told STT. "It wasn't a surprise, but it was still a shock." She added that the loss of on-site access had rendered her original research plan unviable. Despite the setback, Loukola said she would not alter her study to fit political expectations. "This kind of pressure fosters self-censorship, but I won't censor science," she said, adding that she remains committed to completing her dissertation in Finland with institutional support. Ritva Dammert, development director at the HY, said Loukola's case was not isolated. Other scholars have also seen previously approved U.S. funding subjected to political review, she noted. In one recent example, an American researcher's planned visit to Finland to study climate change was canceled after the U.S. government withdrew its financial support, the Fulbright Finland Foundation told STT. "It's astounding that this is happening in a country where academic and research freedom are constitutionally protected," Dammert told STT. "In my view, this is an attack on academic freedom." While acknowledging that funders reserve the right to choose what they support, Dammert said research areas such as climate change and gender equality were frequently defunded during the Trump era -- topics widely pursued by Finnish and European academics. She also revealed that U.S. research funding to HY had been temporarily frozen at the beginning of Trump's second term, with the institution required to submit detailed reporting on how funds were used in alignment with American policy goals. According to Dammert, the university has recently seen a surge in applications from U.S.-based scholars, a trend she interprets as growing concern among American researchers about domestic restrictions on academic freedom. The cases have reignited broader debates over the politicization of science and the vulnerability of academic freedom under shifting political regimes -- concerns that extend well beyond the United States, STT commented. The Fulbright Program, a U.S. government-funded international academic exchange initiative, aims to promote mutual understanding through scholarly collaboration.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
30th Millsaps student awarded Fulbright Scholarship
JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – A Millsaps College student won a prestigious Fulbright award to teachEnglish abroad. Abby Henry is the 30th Millsaps student to earn the honor. According to the college, Henry will teach in Taiwan next fall. USM recognized for supporting military-affiliated students The Fulbright Program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, provides unparalleled opportunities for recent college graduates, graduate students and early career professionals to pursue graduate study, conduct research or teachEnglish in schools across the globe. Henry, a recent graduate with a degree in psychology and a minor in government and politics, was inspired to return to Taiwan after studying abroad there in the summer of 2023. 'I loved everything about it—the language, the culture, the food, the rich political history, the people,' she said. 'When I found out there was an opportunity to be there again through Fulbright, I jumped at it.'While in Taiwan, Henry hopes to improve her Mandarin Chinese and gain more experience as a language teacher. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
News18
19-05-2025
- Politics
- News18
Future Queen Of Belgium — Princess Elisabeth — Is Now A Student At Harvard
Last Updated: Princess Elisabeth of Belgium began her master's programme in Public Policy at Harvard last year. Harvard University is one of the most prestigious institutions in the world. From Barack Obama and Bill Gates to Natalie Portman and Mark Zuckerberg, many well-known names have walked its historic halls. Now, another important name has joined the list – Princess Elisabeth of Belgium. The 23-year-old royal began her master's programme in Public Policy at Harvard in September 2024. To mark this new chapter, the Belgian Royal Palace had shared a few photos of her on social media. In the images, she was dressed casually in jeans and a sleeveless top. The look was very different from the formal clothes usually seen on members of the royal family. The photos showed her embracing student life in a simple way. This two-year course in Public Policy adds to her already impressive academic journey. Between 2021 and 2024, Princess Elisabeth studied History and Politics at Lincoln College, part of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Before that, she earned her International Baccalaureate in 2020 from UWC Atlantic College in Wales. In 2021, she completed a one-year course in Social and Military Sciences at the Royal Military Academy in Belgium. She was accepted into Harvard after passing the required entrance exams. She was also selected for an Honorary Award by the Fulbright Program, an international education exchange initiative supported by the US Department of State. Born on October 25, 2001, in Anderlecht, Elisabeth is the eldest daughter of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde. She has held the title of Duchess of Brabant since July 2013. As the first-born child, she is first in line to the Belgian throne. When the time comes, she will become Belgium's first Queen regnant. Elisabeth began taking on royal duties at a young age. In 2011, at just 9 years old, she carried out her first official activity by inaugurating the Princess Elisabeth Children's Hospital in Ghent. She also gave her name to the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica Research Station and is the patron of the naval patrol ship P902 Pollux. According to the Belgian royal family's website, Princess Elisabeth is fluent in Dutch, French, German and English. She enjoys outdoor activities like skiing, rowing, sailing and long walks. She has taken piano lessons and likes to read in her spare time. The princess is also known for her involvement in social work. She has volunteered with organisations that help the elderly, the homeless, school dropouts, and people with disabilities. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she made regular calls to elderly people in care homes to encourage and support them. First Published:
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump eyes near 50 percent cut in State Dept budget: US media
The US State Department is expected to propose an unprecedented scaling back of Washington's diplomatic reach, multiple news outlets reported Tuesday, shuttering programs and embassies worldwide to slash the budget by almost 50 percent. The proposals, contained in an internal departmental memo said to be under serious discussion by senior officials, would eliminate almost all funding for international organizations such as the United Nations and NATO. Financial support for international peacekeeping would be curtailed, along with funding for educational and cultural exchanges like the Fulbright Program, one of the most prestigious US scholarships. The plan comes with President Donald Trump pressing a broader assault on government spending, and a scaling back of America's leading role on the international stage. But the American Foreign Service Association called the proposed cuts "reckless and dangerous" while former US ambassador to Moscow Michael McFaul decried a "giant gift to the Communist Party of China." The memo says the State Department will request a $28.4 billion budget in fiscal year 2026, beginning October 1 -- $26 billion less than the 2025 figure, according to The New York Times. Although it has little to say about humanitarian aid, programs tackling tropical disease, providing vaccines to children in developing nations and promoting maternal and child health would go, the Times reported. USAID -- the sprawling development agency eyed for closure by Trump and Musk -- is assumed by the memo's authors to have been fully absorbed into the State Department, said The Washington Post. Only the Republican-controlled Congress -- which needs Democratic votes to pass most laws -- has the authority to sign off on the cuts. But the proposals will likely loom large in lawmakers' negotiations over the 2026 budget. Government departments were facing a deadline of this week to send the White House their plans for cuts, but the State Department has yet to make any public announcements. It is not clear if Secretary of State Marco Rubio has endorsed the April 10 memo, but he would need to sign off on any cuts before they could be considered by Congress. The document earmarks 10 embassies and 17 consulates for closure, including missions in Eritrea, Luxembourg, South Sudan and Malta, according to politics outlet Punchbowl News. Five consulates earmarked for closure are in France while two are in Germany, Punchbowl reported. The list also includes missions in Scotland and Italy. In Canada, US consulates in Montreal and Halifax would be downsized to "provide 'last-mile' diplomacy with minimal local support," the website reported, citing the document. US missions to international bodies such as the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development and the UN's children's fund, UNICEF, would be merged with the diplomatic outposts in the city where they are located. AFP contacted the State Department for comment but there was no immediate response. ft/st
