JAMAICANS seeking to further their studies overseas and engage in exciting cultural exchanges with people from across the world, then return home to contribute to the development of the island, can fulfil that dream through the 2023 Fulbright Graduate Student Programme being offered in the United States.

The US Embassy in St Andrew is imploring Jamaicans wishing to pursue a master’s or a PhD degree to position themselves by applying for the Fulbright Scholarship in a wide range of areas including journalism, humanities, performing arts, visual arts, social sciences, anthropology, political science, chemistry physics, computer science media studies and communication, and much more.

For in-depth information on how to apply, prospective scholarship recipients may visit the jm.usembassy.gov website or https://jm.usembassy.gov/education-culture/fulbright-graduate-student-program/ or send an email to Kingstonexchanges@state.gov. The application deadline in July 31, 2022 at 11:59 pm.

The programme was named after James Fulbright, a Senator who moved a motion in Congress for a scholarship, in the wake of World War II, that would promote exchange and mutual cultural learning. In 1946 the scholarship was established.

Jermaine McCalpin, a former recipient of the scholarship, said recently that Jamaicans should not allow the opportunity to pass them by.

Today, McCalpin is chairman of African and African American studies at New Jersey City University. He is also an associate professor of African and African American studies who contributes significantly to public intellectualism in the US, Jamaica, Armenia and Canada. McCalpin does work as well on reparations and genocide across the world.

“The Fulbright scholarship, what it really is, is a kind of cultural exchange made possible through the US Government. It provides grants essentially in the form of a two-year scholarship to people from across the world. I got the graduate scholarship in 2000. In my case I already had a master’s so I used mine to start my PhD in the United States. It is prestigious to the extent where it is a highly selective process — and it is important that we understand that there are so many deserving Jamaicans who could benefit from the programme.

“I think it is important to return to your home country, Jamaica, to give back from the place you have benefited so much from. When I completed my PhD in 2006 I taught for a year at Brown University and then I returned to teach at The University of the West Indies for a decade. That was my way of giving back to Jamaica.

“I would advise anyone who is interested in applying to do so. You should not be discouraged because you figure that you don’t know if you will get it — you can’t know unless you apply. I encourage students who meet the eligibility requirements to apply and see exactly what the possibilities that exist are. Apply with an expectation and belief that you can do great things and this is just a stepping stone to doing great things. Once you have been selected you can always be a Fulbrighter and be a part of one of the most prestigious scholarships across the world,” encouraged McCalpin.