Wyoming Fulbright Association Chapter to Hold Statewide Event in Laramie

The newly formed Wyoming Chapter of the Fulbright Association will host an inaugural statewide gathering Wednesday, Dec. 3, at 6 p.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn at 2229 Grand Ave. in Laramie.

Recent Fulbrighters, including UW faculty members and students, will share their stories of international learning in Costa Rica, Israel, Poland and Myanmar.

Students, educators, community members and Fulbright alumni are invited to celebrate 80 years of Fulbright global engagement and learn about participating with the Fulbright Program. The event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.

The Fulbright Program, the U.S. government’s premier international exchange initiative, promotes mutual understanding through scholarly, cultural and professional collaboration in more than 160 countries. Applicants do not have to be affiliated with a university to apply.

The Fulbright Association, with 54 chapters, is the independent nonprofit alumni organization of the Fulbright Program. The goal of Wyoming’s chapter is to expand local opportunities for exchange, leadership and international connection.

The evening will start with rotating roundtable conversations with Wyoming Fulbright alumni. Each conversation offers a chance to hear firsthand stories from across the globe, ask questions and explore how Fulbright experiences shape communities both locally and internationally.

Participants can check out any of these informal discussions:

Poland -- Urszula Norton, a professor of agroecology and agroecosystem biochemistry at UW, will share her spring and summer 2025 work as a Fulbright scholar with Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences focusing on soil health.

Israel -- Brandon Gellis, an associate professor of visual communication design at UW, will share his experience in 2023 at Shenkar College of Engineering, Design and Art in Tel Aviv. His Fulbright research -- continuing today -- examines visual artifacts such as historic and contemporary street art, graffiti and mark-making as responses to political, socio-economic and religious conflict across generations. Centered on the idea of belonging, his work explores how these forms of visual expression convey cultural pride, reflect political and religious exceptionalism, and perpetuate stereotypes, apathy and ongoing conflict.

Costa Rica -- UW students Libby Bassett, of Burlington; Francie Scott, of Cheyenne; and Marilee Williams, of Saratoga, will share their eight-week Spanish language immersion in Monteverde. Bassett participated in a Wyoming Fulbright initiative to teach English to local tourism workers. Scott and Williams conducted a field research project comparing the montane ecosystems of Wyoming’s Medicine Bow National Forest with the cloud forest of Costa Rica.

Myanmar -- Amy Roberts, an associate professor in the School of Teacher Education at UW, and her son Fernando Miguel Roberts will reflect on their two years at Mandalay University in Mandalay. Amy Roberts led peace education workshops across the country, taught graduate-level research courses and facilitated faculty research/publication seminars. Fernando Roberts became the first U.S. student to enroll in a Mandalay K-12 school.

Following the roundtables, representatives of the Wyoming Chapter will introduce opportunities for alumni and community members. These include chapter and board membership; program and event planning; outreach to Wyoming schools and community colleges; partnership-building across the state; and alumni engagement and mentoring. There also will be a welcome and exchange of ideas with Fulbrighters from abroad.

“This is an opportunity to shape the future of Fulbright programming and global engagement in Wyoming,” Amy Roberts says. “Besides Fulbright alumni, we hope anyone who wants to explore international study or teaching or is simply curious about the Fulbright will join us.”

Chavawn Kelley, a 2025 Fulbright-Hays Scholar in Costa Rica, adds, “Senator J. William Fulbright encouraged alumni to create an active community. We want to join others in sharing our enthusiasm for the ideals of the Fulbright Program.”

Since its inception in 1946, Fulbright scholarships have facilitated more than 400,000 academic and professional exchanges across 165 countries. With 54 local chapters, the association furthers the Fulbright mission by connecting global Fulbrighters and their ideas, supporting career development and mentorship, and advocating for the future of the Fulbright Program.

Fulbright alumni are leaders and global change-makers in politics, business, science, education, the arts and other fields. Their ranks include 89 Pulitzer Prize winners; 61 Nobel Prize laureates; 40 current or former heads of state or government; 76 MacArthur Foundation Fellows; and 16 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients.

To learn more about the Fulbright Association Wyoming Chapter, email Kelley at ckelley@uwyo.edu or Amy Roberts at aroberts@uwyo.edu.