Elevate Your Understanding of History and Global Issues: Apply for a Fulbright Fellowship (or something similar…)
Nothing compares to a trip abroad that combines meeting new people, experiencing a new place, and working to address common problems. It has been nearly a week since I returned from Gyor, Hungary, where I was the guest of Széchenyi István University (SZE), a private institution with an enrollment of 14,000 students. My assignment in going to SZE on a Fulbright Senior Specialist Fellowship was to teach a career exploration and professional development seminar for undergraduate students to encourage them to pursue health careers. The seminar culminated in a career panel that is summarized here: https://admissions.sze.hu/-imagine-your-future-inspiring-messages-at-sze-s-panel-discussion
One third the size of Arizona, Hungary has a population of 9.5 million people, compared to the 7.5 million in Arizona. The country is landlocked, bordered by Serbia, Romania, Austria, Croatia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Ukraine. Hungary, like many developed countries, faces a health care crisis. They have an aging population, lifestyle related chronic conditions, and a shortage of health care professionals. I was hosted at the SZE Health and Sports Sciences College which boasts undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs in psychology, nursing, health psychology, health care management, sonography, and more. The opportunity to problem-solve with Hungarian colleagues, and to experience the beginning of the academic year on this vibrant campus was both enlightening and gratifying.
My Hungarian hosts were eager to insure that I visited places of importance in Northwestern Hungary, so in addition to Gyor, I was taken to the SZE branch campus in Mosonmagyarovar which is the home of the SZE College of Agriculture; I visited Heviz, a renowned medicinal spa; Sopron, a magical medieval town on the amber road; Pannonhalma, a monastery and World Heritage Site, and Lake Balaton, a favorite vacation site for Hungarians and others in the region.
It is clear from the many memorials and monuments that two events in Hungarian history are still very much on the minds of Hungarian people. The Treaty of Trianon, in 1920, at the end of World War I, reduced Hungary’s territory by 2/3rds leaving Hungarian populations in the newly re-drawn borders of what was then Czechlosovakia and Yugoslavia, as well as in Romania, Ukraine, and Austria.
The second historical event that is memorialized in many places is the 1956 Hungarian Revolution and invasion by the (then) Soviet Union. Twenty-five hundred to 3,000 died and more than 200,000 emigrated, some over the bridge at Andau, Austria.
During my time in Gyor I was impressed with the Hungarians’ spirit of community. Over a period of several weekends in September, the city of 130,000 hosted an international canoe and kayak regatta, a bread festival, a fish festival, and a three-day car rally.
In short, my experience in Gyor was enlightening and productive and I would encourage others to pursue similar opportunities. A good starting place would be with the Fulbright Program for students (see: https://us.fulbrightonline.org/) and the Fulbright Senior Scholar Program for faculty and professionals (https://fulbrightscholars.org/).