Fulbright Program sends student overseas

By Alex Roman
Daily Forty Niner

Cal State Long Beach graduate student Daniel Chaffey has just begun what could be the opportunity of a lifetime, working as a teacher's assistant in Oldenburg, Germany.

"I officially started on September 18th at the Herbartgymnasium Oldenburg, in Oldenburg Germany," Chaffey said. "It lasts about ten months, but I have the possibility to extend it after ten months, through the German-end of the program."

The program Chaffey is referring to is the Fulbright award program.

Fulbright's are awarded to graduating seniors or graduate students. All applicants must pick a country that they wish to travel and explain to the committee, via an application, what they plan to learn and accomplish there. In addition, they must explain their research plan and why it would be important. The winner is awarded a one-year all expenses paid trip.

The program pays for travel to and from the country, health insurance, room and board and all course tuition and book costs applicable to the program, said Linda Olson-Levy, CSULB's Fulbright campus representative.

The program was put into effect following World War II, when the former senator of Arkansas, William J. Fulbright, thought it would be the perfect tool to prevent any future wars, Olson-Levy said.

"Fulbright's idea was that if people could meet people from other nations and get to know one another, they would form affiliations," she said. "He hoped that by doing this people might be more understanding of each other and that would help prevent any more wars."

Although many Fulbright awards are available -- 953, which span more than 100 countries -- not just anyone can win a Fulbright.

The competition for European awards is especially tough, Olson-Levy said.

"If you look at the application booklet, you see that almost a quarter of the students that applied for the Egyptian Fulbright awards won," Olson-Levy said. "When you get to some of the Western European countries and especially Germany, the competition gets a little stiffer. It's a great cache for the rest of [Chaffey's] life."

Although the award was a tremendous honor for Chaffey, he was wary about going.

"When they told me I had won, I was a bit apprehensive," he said. "I was actually a bit apathetic at first. Not to say that I don't think the award was an honor, but because I wasn't too sure that I would get it."

The toughest thing for Chaffey was leaving home. Fortunately, his previous visit, as an exchange student in 1997 was helpful.

"It was a bit difficult to leave," Chaffey said. "I had lived here before, so I already knew what it was going to be like to have to pack your entire life into a few small bags. This time I had friends here to help me get over all the little things, so I knew it would be all right."

Upon completion of his trip, Chaffey, who received his bachelor's degree from CSULB in 1999 with a double major in German and history, said he hopes to return and finish coursework for his teaching credential.

"I plan on making a career out of teaching," Chaffey said. "I've finished all the coursework for my teaching credential, except for the semester of student teaching."

Although the award has opened doors for Chaffey, the reaction from others has caused him to shy away from the compliments.

" I have already met so many people who are too concerned about the title of Fulbright grantee and I just don't like being the center of attention," Chaffey said. "It might sound cynical, but I hope this isn't the crowning jewel in my life, I see it as just another step in my entire trip on the planet"