Globetrotting with a purpose

By Janette Neuwahl Tannen[email protected]05-02-2024

Just before college, Joelle Solowiejczyk got the chance to travel to Mumbai, India, where she saw an elderly man bathing in a polluted river. Further downstream, children were playing and drinking from the same waterway.

Distraught by the scene, Solowiejczyk decided to spend her years at the University of Miami focused on ways to offer clean water to more people. She changed her major to environmental engineering with a plan to focus on water and has spent much of the past four years working with faculty in the field.

Her dedication has paid off. Solowiejczyk is now among three accomplished seniors and a recent alumnus of the University of Miami selected for Fulbright U.S. Student Program awards to teach English or conduct research across the globe.

Solowiejczyk will be using her grant to design low-cost stormwater runoff solutions for people living in Indonesia.

"I want to take my engineering, water resources, and management training to develop basic infrastructure that can help people optimize the use of runoff water for drought periods," she said.

In addition, senior Laura Caram will be teaching English in Portugal and Lindsey Faucher, who is also graduating next week, will be teaching in Switzerland. Recent alumnus Kalid Gawon will be teaching English in Mongolia this summer.

The class of Fulbright students is the largest the University has had in nine years, said Erika Liberus, director of the Office of Prestigious Awards and Fellowships. And University administrators are thrilled. Funded by the U.S. Department of State, the Fulbright Program funds international exchange scholarships and awards for students as well as staff and faculty members through its Fulbright Scholars program. The program was named after the late Senator J. William Fulbright, the father of former University of Miami first lady, Roberta "Bosey" Fulbright Foote.

"The spirit of the Fulbright Program-to connect people from different countries and to promote mutual respect and understanding-is one facet of the University's mission-to transform lives-and I am proud that our students continue to do this work with Fulbright grants around the world," said Maria Galli Stampino, dean of undergraduate affairs, and professor of Italian language and culture.

Gawon, a North Miami native whose parents immigrated from Nigeria, earned a Jack Kent Cooke Foundation scholarship to attend the University and graduated last December with a degree in political science and a minor in psychology. As a former Model United Nations delegate who is also interested in Asian culture, Gawon wanted to develop a more global perspective by working in Mongolia before hopefully starting law school next fall.

Gawon also enjoyed serving as a teaching assistant at Achieve Miami throughout high school. He watched many friends who immigrated from other countries learn English and thrive upon graduation.

"I am really excited and grateful for this experience," Gawon said. "I want to help more people that want to learn English do so because I think everyone who wants to learn should be able to."

Meanwhile, Lindsey Faucher, an international studies, psychology, and French major, will also be teaching English, but in Switzerland. As part of an internship in 2022, Faucher spent a summer in Portugal teaching English to young children, and she looks forward to doing it again in Switzerland because she believes that education is an important way to establish relationships between countries.

Faucher is also a Stamps Scholar and, as part of her scholarship, was able to attend a study abroad program in Switzerland last summer, when she enjoyed taking classes in the French-speaking region. However, she will be teaching in the German-speaking part of Switzerland this summer.

"It was always a dream of mine to work abroad, so this is a great step towards that," said Faucher, who hopes to go into diplomacy. "International development is something I am really passionate about, since my parents came to the U.S. from Haiti. I was able to get more opportunities because of the place I was born, so in the future I want to give more opportunities to others and make connections between countries."

Finally, Caram, who is studying international relations and English, also hopes to go into the foreign service. She will be teaching English to young students in Santarém, Portugal, through the Fulbright Program. Caram is a President's Scholar who was born in Brazil, so she is fluent in Portuguese, which is a requirement of her very selective program.

But Caram also recognized her love for teaching and mentoring young students by working for Teach For America, where she virtually tutors Missouri third graders in reading. Caram also volunteers at South Miami Senior High School and taught a college preparatory class this spring.

"Through these experiences, I realized the potential that teachers have to make an impact on their students, and to shape minds and ideas," said Caram, who is one of just six students teaching in Portugal. "I am excited for the Fulbright experience because I think it's important to get to know the world around you and how the rest of it works, as well as how you work. This experience, it will equip me with the knowledge and tools I need to know myself and the world before I join the workforce."

If you are interested in learning more about Fulbright U.S. Student Program award opportunities, contact Prestigious Awards and Fellowships at [email protected].