Fulbright-García Robles scholarships to UP graduates of excellence
Mexico City, June 21, 2022.- The United States-Mexico Commission for Educational and Cultural Exchange (COMEXUS) selected four alumni from our Universidad Panamericana as Fulbright-García Robles grantees: María del Carmen Salas Álvarez from the School of Law, Gabriel Díaz from the School of Engineering, Daniela Rodríguez and Silvia Téliz, both from the School of Communication.
COMEXUS is a binational organisation established by an agreement signed between the governments of Mexico and the United States, which is responsible for administering the Fulbright-García Robles scholarship programmes. Through these, COMEXUS supports Mexican and American students, researchers and teachers to carry out postgraduate studies, research stays, teaching and professionalisation programmes in both countries.
The programmes and institutions where our alumni will study are:
- Gabriel Díaz Ramos - Rice University, PhD in Applied Physics.
- Daniela Rodríguez Martínez - University of Southern California, M.A. in Public Relations and Advertising.
- Silvia Téliz Martínez - University of Pennsylvania, PhD in Communication.
- María del Carmen Salas Álvarez - Columbia University, Master in International Affairs.
A very competitive scholarship
"I had heard about Fulbright as a scholarship that, in addition to monetary support, came with guidance and advice from COMEXUS and Education USA experts, so it seemed like a great opportunity to polish my profile and properly prepare my Master's degree applications," says Maricarmen Salas.
But the Fulbright-García Robles scholarship is not easy to obtain, as Gabriel Díaz says: "The process to obtain this scholarship is quite long, it is not an easy scholarship to get". He also points out that the process includes letters of recommendation, a motivation essay and taking exams such as GRE (Graduate Record Examinations) and TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language).
This is in addition to having a good academic record, a good average in university studies and extracurricular activities that give applicants added value. Afterwards, a committee is in charge of deciding whether the applicants pass to the second stage, which consists of an interview with a panel of experts.
"I often doubted the strength of my profile because the scholarship is extremely competitive. However, I believe that the combination of my academic and professional background, coupled with the current relevance of my research project, was enough for me to be selected," says Silvia Téliz.
"It was such exciting news! I see it as the result of the dedication, professionalism and passion with which I have developed my studies since long before university," says Daniela.
He explains that there is no formula for obtaining this prestigious scholarship, but rather a series of ingredients that make an application successful: "dedication and perseverance in and out of school, knowledge, what you can contribute with your identity and a clear professional vision that contributes to the betterment of our country and planet".
UP as an added value
The graduates agree that their time at our university equipped them with the necessary skills and tools to become Fulbright grantees.
"I know I would never have got to where I am today without the support of the UP School of Communication," says Silvia, who is especially grateful for the academic and professional support she has received from members of the board and professors such as Georgina Flores and Fernanda Vidal. "Those of us who study at UP are used to carrying out ambitious projects. I think this is a crucial tool to build any professional career," she adds.
Gabriel, who was part of the university's basketball team for four years, says that managing his time between classes, homework, training and high-level sporting matches "shaped me with the perseverance and discipline necessary to achieve any goal I set myself, in this case obtaining a scholarship for a postgraduate degree in the United States".
For her part, Daniela says that thanks to Panamericana, and specifically to the School of Communication and the Faculty of Engineering, she was able to build her professional profile, in which it is possible to find from a national prize for speech (from MediaLab projects), a co-authorship of research and books derived from them, to leadership in the communication of the first space project of the UP: Misión Colibrí (https://www.colibrimission.com/).
I believe that all UP students have the great privilege of having access to the best education and opportunities in Mexico, so from that perspective, we have the responsibility to contribute positively to the improvement of our society and that is what distinguishes us: our daily and active commitment to do good, to innovate and to perform with human excellence in any activity.
Maricarmen says: "My training at UP, specifically at the Faculty of Law, allowed me to become aware of my cognitive capacity, my learning processes and how I internalise new knowledge, which was extremely useful for me to obtain a good result (when applying for the scholarship). The academic rigour that distinguishes us makes you aware of how prepared you are to face new challenges and be successful.
In 30 years of operation, COMEXUS has distinguished more than 4,500 Mexicans and Americans with the Fulbright-García Robles scholarship. "For us, being a Fulbright-García Robles grantee is an honour, because it means being part of an international community that detonates professional opportunities for exchange, understanding, development and scientific diplomacy. Above all, it means that we will be ambassadors of our country and promote binational cooperation from our own areas of study," say the four graduates.
