Alumni Spotlight- Clemente Garcia III

Clemente Garcia III (UT 2014) recently received a Fulbright U.S. Student Program award to the Netherlands from the U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. We spoke with him to find out more about his research and his hopes for more Terry Fulbright awardees.

From the press release:
“Clemente will conduct research in multilingual education and assist in English instruction at Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (HvA) as part of a project to better understand the successful implementation of language equity and multilingualism in Dutch public schools. With these findings, Clemente will return to Texas where he will continue to champion for better bilingual education practices while pursuing Graduate’s studies in linguistics… Recipients of Fulbright awards are selected on the basis of academic and professional achievement as well as record of service and leadership potential in their respective fields.” (Source: Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Press Office ) Read the full press release>>>

Our Interview

 

Clemente and Students

with students in Taiwan

 

Clemente Garcia in Taiwan

Wuji Tianyuan Temple


Clemente Garcia III- Istanbul

Study Abroad in Turkey

How did you find out about the Fulbright Award?

I learned about the Fulbright Award through pure fate. While studying abroad in Turkey a few years ago (a huge thank you to the Foundation for funding that semester) I became close friends with another exchange student from New York. Last summer, I sent a message to see what she was up to, and that’s when she first told me about Fulbright. Knowing my interests, she encouraged me to apply for the following year. I’m still pretty amazed by how I came across the Fulbright Award. I heard about it from her with just enough time to begin putting my application together.

What would you like other students to know about Fulbright?

I really just want other students to know that it is available. My Fulbright Advisors explained that so many awardees come from upper-middle-class families and have been on a “conveyor belt” to college their entire lives. I only learned about Fulbright through a friend that fits the typical description of a recipient. Ultimately, I hope that more people like myself and other Terry Scholars are able to hear about opportunities like Fulbright and break through the barriers of exposure.

For further information about the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State, please visit http://eca.state.gov/fulbright