UC A&S nationally competitive award winners reflect on their experiences

By Michelle Flanagan

Academic awards such as Fulbright, Goldwater and National Science Foundation fellowships offer students a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to extend their studies, advance their academic goals and experience the world in an all-new way.

Receiving a nationally competitive award is an honor for students, and grants them a stronger ability to chase their dreams. And in hindsight, most say that while the process of applying for the awards is time-consuming, it’s well worth it.

UC’s College of Arts and Sciences has had no shortage of such award winners in the last several years. UC’s Office of Nationally Competitive Awards supports students interested in applying for these external fellowships, and works to support them as early as possible in their college careers.

In order to help students develop into strong candidates, the office provides comprehensive advising and support for a set of core awards that require UC endorsement, as well as assistance for some priority awards that don’t require UC endorsement. Professors also provide critical support for students, and can point them toward the Office of Nationally Competitive Awards when they recognize that potential.

When applying, students must have a detailed plan of what they will do if they win, and a great deal of research goes into the application process.

A plan is one thing, but what was the experience of these students actually like? Here Katherine Paul, a graduate student in German Studies and recipient of a Fulbright award, reflects on her experience, and says, “it’s always worth applying, no matter the outcome.”

Katherine Paul is a UC graduate student in the German Studies department who received a Fulbright in 2018. The Fulbright Program is a cultural exchange program which works to improve intercultural relations and cultural diplomacy.

When she applied to the Fulbright Program, Paul intended to perform a reception study of audience reactions to post-dramatic theater performances, as well as conduct archival research at the Bertolt-Brecht-Archiv in Berlin, Germany. All of this would happen over the course of an academic year, which she would spend in Berlin.

During the application process, she had lots of help.

“Several professors in my department were very helpful in reviewing and giving feedback on my initial drafts. Also, after receiving word that I’d gotten the award, they were helpful with tips about finding housing, et cetera, in Berlin,” Paul said.