By Toni M. Holland

Serving as Vice President of the Community Colleges of the Fulbright Association delights me in supporting others in internationalizing their education and careers. If you are reading this and work at a community college, I hope you will attend my talk.

Joining the Fulbright and Fulbright alumni community will keep you inspired in lifelong learning. The Houston local chapter met recently at Under the Volcano for our fall social. Most inspiring to me is the passion in discipline maintained after the Fulbright. I enjoy watching others light up and talk about current creative or research projects, hearing their Fulbright story, and belonging in a community intentionally expressing the mission: mutual cultural understanding. Joy grows when each person’s contribution references another country, whether citizen or foreign national. Contact information and desire to meet again ripples through these social gatherings. Fulbright provides lifelong inspiration. The passion shared is palpable. Fulbright provides lifelong leadership training opportunities such as in advocacy.

My greatest hope in serving on the board is that more community college faculty and administrators learn of this opportunity and apply. During my talk, I will review the strategy I took toward planning for the application as a doctoral student while discussing my research. I held a Fulbright Student award in Canada at The University of Alberta. I researched a literary and cultural history of US and Canadian poet’s laureate. I joined the community with Edmonton’s annual city festival in poetry by sitting as a board member guest to plan the 2010 festival. I provided and received a cultural exchange in literary event practices within the university and within the city.

I serve on the CCFA board for one more year. My time on the board will be successful when the number of applications from community colleges increase, and more people are able to experience an authentic and meaningful cultural exchange in higher education as individual applicants and from a healthy range in applicant number from different community colleges. You will find that as this board organizes talks like mine, over time you will hear different perspectives on how to apply whether as Fulbright scholar, specialist, or student. Time commitment can range from two weeks to in my case one academic year.

Fulbright alumni, we will be holding elections for new board members in June. Consider serving the mission of Fulbright by serving on the CCFA board.  More information on the elections is forthcoming. Consider sharing your Fulbright story.

All best,

Toni M. Holland, PhD