U.S. Fulbrighters in Conversation: Fulbright Poland Grants for Students

In this webinar, our American Fulbrighters shared their unique stories and talked about how coming to Poland on a Fulbright grant has impacted their professional and personal development. Why did they choose Poland as their Fulbright destination? What did they learn? What does their life after Fulbright look like? Our panelists discussed the intricacies of different stages related to their Fulbright awards, among others: the application and selection process; highlights from their stay in Poland; what stayed with them after their grants had ended; and the program’s impact on who they are today.

Bhumi Dalia

Bhumi Dalia is currently a graduate student in the Education Policy and Management program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a Program Coordinator for College and Career Readiness at Seattle Public Schools. As a student and practitioner in public K-12 education, she is committed to combining data and policy to create culturally-conscious and equitable education opportunities for all students in the United States and abroad to help them thrive as responsible global citizens. She is a former high school English teacher, communications professional, and a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) in Poland (2018-19). She received her Bachelor’s degree in Communications (Rhetoric) and English with a minor in Journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and holds a Master’s in Teaching from Northwest University.

James Jung

James Jung is currently a Senior Research Associate at Dewpoint Therapeutics and an incoming MBA candidate at The University of Chicago Booth School of Business. His career in biotech has largely entailed building out company technology platforms, namely in the antibody discovery and biomolecular condensates space. He was a Fulbright U.S. Student Researcher from 2018 to 2019, during which he investigated the pathogenesis of psoriasis under the guidance of Dr. Joanna Cichy and Dr. Patrycja Kwiecińska at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków. James is a proud graduate of Dartmouth College, where he earned a B.E. in Bioengineering.

Julianne Parayo

Julianne Parayo is currently an International Student Advisor and Designated School Official for F-1 international students at Fordham University. She was a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) in Poland during 2014-2015, and was awarded a competitive extension for her Fulbright grant to mentor the incoming grantees of 2015-2016. She is a graduate of Teachers College, Columbia University in the City of New York with a Master of Arts in International Educational Development, and received her Bachelor of Arts in Music and English from Santa Clara University.

Stephen Szypulski

Stephen Szypulski is currently Vice President, Global Compliance at Goldman Sachs in New York. Stephen joined Goldman Sachs in 2015 and previously was a member of Financial Crime Compliance’s (FCC) Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) and Forensics teams. He was named associate in 2017 and vice president in 2019. At Goldman Sachs, Stephen is a member of the Firmwide LGBT Network. Prior to joining the firm, Stephen served as Aide to Mayor Steven Fulop in Jersey City, New Jersey, where he served as the mayor’s traveling aide in New Jersey’s second largest city. He is a graduate of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. and Columbia University in New York. He was a Fulbright U.S. Student Researcher affiliated with the University of Warsaw during the 2012-2013 academic year.

This webinar took place on May 26th, 2021  as part of the celebrations of the 75th Anniversary of the Fulbright Program with the May theme “Advancements and Awards.”