The Romanian alumni’s contribution to promoting and supporting the Fulbright Commission’s programs and activities is essential and welcome. To illustrate this in a more approachable way, three recipients of the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship initiated a special event (sustained by the Romanian-U.S. Fulbright Commission and the Romanian-U.S. Alumni Association) that took place on July 14, in a more informal location, namely Gradina Viitorului. Vlad Odobescu, Humphrey Alumnus 2014-2015 together with Ioana Tamas, Humphrey Fellow 2015-2016, and Oana Claudia Iacob, Humphrey Alumna 2010-2011, had the excellent initiative of promoting the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship through a meeting with people potentially interested in entering the ongoing competition (still open until July 31).

Ioana introduced the topic and the participants, giving the floor to Vlad, who shared his fresh personal experience as a Humphrey Fellow in Journalism at Arizona State University. Ioana, already geared up for her fellowship in Public/Cultural Policies at the University of Maryland starting this August, shared personal anecdotes about the application and selection process and offered practical advice to the prospective applicants. Oana Claudia, who is also the chair of the Romanian-U.S. Alumni Association, shared her post-fellowship experience, focusing on the networking and leadership values promoted by this program in particular, as well as on the long-term impact the challenging Humphrey experience brings about. In keeping with the informal setting, the participants were encouraged to freely join the conversation and ask questions concerning the program and the three speakers’ experience as Humphrey Fellows.  

(Photos: Codrin Prisecaru)