My experiences with the Fulbright Program have always been deeply positive, and after each of the three grants I have received, I am left with a profound sense of gratitude. This was my third Fulbright grant, but my first participation in an IEA program. One of the aspects I value most about the Fulbright experience is the intentional emphasis on relationship building. These connections, formed among people with differing backgrounds and perspectives, help foster a more peaceful and civil world. This belief was central to Senator J. William Fulbright’s vision and remains at the heart of the Fulbright Program today. In this reflection, I will highlight three relational “snapshots” from our two-week IEA experience in Taiwan.
The first “snapshot” I want to mention was the kindness, openness, and overall hospitality of the Taiwanese higher education professionals we met in our many visits to Taiwanese Universities across the island nation. We were greeted with handshakes, smiles, business cards, gifts, and Taiwanese cuisine. Each departure from a university was marked with the standard group picture that captured traditional photographic hand gestures in Taiwan, such as the thumbs up and the heart. These are perfect symbols to represent our visits to these institutions. In addition to their hospitality, they represented their institutions with aplomb, helping us to learn about potential opportunities for collaborations and exchanges. I left each of those interactions believing that these institutions host international students well–with the same kind of hospitality and eagerness to engage that we felt as educators. This takeaway gave me full confidence that U.S. students seeking an experience in Taiwan would be warmly welcomed and nurtured.
The second “snapshot” involved connecting with a group of Taiwanese men through sports during our day off exploring Taipei. First, a bit of background: In addition to my role as an educator at ACU, I founded a nonprofit that uses sports, specifically soccer, to build relationships and support refugees and other vulnerable children. Through this work, I have learned that sports provide a natural and accessible way to connect across cultures, especially when language barriers exist. So, a few days before the Fulbright free day in Taipei, I was visiting another part of the city and noticed a beautiful set of basketball courts filled with people playing. Basketball, it turns out, is an especially popular sport in Taiwan. I made note of the courts’ location, and on our day off, returned in hopes of finding a pick-up game. When I returned a few days later, I was welcomed by a group of Taiwanese men and ended up playing far more basketball than I had anticipated. There were countless high-fives, shared laughter, and moments of friendly competition. Despite our limited ability to communicate verbally, the game itself became a shared language, one that created connection, fostered camaraderie, and reminded me that meaningful relationships can often begin through something as simple as playing together.
The final “snapshot” I would like to highlight is the kindness, openness, and spirit of adventure that our Fulbright IEA cohort brought to our experience in Taiwan. Representing a wide range of institutions and geographic regions across the United States, we arrived with diverse professional backgrounds and perspectives, yet quickly formed a sense of community. Over the course of two weeks, we shared meaningful conversations and memorable experiences, biking through scenic landscapes, hiking Elephant Rock, visiting museums, and touring educational institutions together. These shared moments deepened our understanding not only of Taiwan, but also of one another’s work and the unique contexts we each bring to higher education. The relationships built within our cohort became an important part of the Fulbright experience itself, reminding us that international education is strengthened through collaboration, curiosity, and mutual respect. Together, we return to our campuses with a renewed commitment to fostering global understanding and expanding opportunities for international learning among the students we serve.
