Mary Alurwar is a UC Davis Global Affairs’ international scholar advisor within Services for International Students and Scholars. She serves as the J-1 lead advisor and backup for H1-Bs. In October, Alurwar traveled to Germany to learn the latest trends in Germany’s higher education system. She received a 2024 Fulbright International Education Administrator (IEA) Award, which awarded her a 2-week program, travel, and accommodation grant.

Fulbright Provides Unique Opportunities

Alurwar’s passion for international education originated in Edwardsville, Illinois. During her time at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, she organized various international events, notably their international festival filled with food, performances, and a flag parade. These experiences led her to pursue a career in international affairs at UC Davis in 2014. It was here that her former director shared the exciting and transformative experience of the Fulbright seminars as a participant in Taiwan and France. Alurwar recounted, “He talked about how it’s a great way to make connections with universities in other countries, learn how they do internationalization, what kinds of services they provide, and what we can learn from them and do better here.” Her current supervisor also has ties with Germany being a J-2 dependent of a German scholar. Influenced by her supervisors’ exciting stories, Alurwar applied for the Fulbright opportunity.

Fulbright programs currently occur in France, Germany, India, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and France/Senegal. Alurwar’s profession and personal connections led to her interest in the German program. She stated, 

“We have a good amount of German scholars that come to UC Davis, so I wanted to learn about their experiences and education system and what kinds of services are provided there.” 

Alurwar’s father also influenced her as “seeing where he lived for three years and seeing first-hand what it looks like is what drew me to Germany.”

A Head Start in Germany

Prior to the start of her Fulbright program, Alurwar left the US a couple of days early and arrived in Munich, where her father resided for 3 years. There, she experienced Oktoberfest and visited various historical museums reflecting on WWII. Alurwar was impressed by Germany’s steps to improve their sustainability: compostable takeout containers, free plant-based milk alternatives in coffee shops, and vegan-friendly restaurant dishes. Her excitement only grew as the program included a city-wide bus tour, brewery visits, and a trip to the government center.

The Fulbright Experience

The Fulbright experience took place in Berlin, where Alurwar explored the German K-12 and university education systems through engaging seminars and site visits. She stated, “Their system is quite different from ours.” She was fascinated by Gymnasium schools directing their 10th graders towards university and by the full government funding of higher education. She learned how they support international students, including numerous scholarships and vocational programs for those not pursuing university. Alurwar enthusiastically shared, “It’s interesting, too, because some careers that require a Bachelor’s degree here don’t require a Bachelor’s degree from a university in Germany. For example, nursing doesn’t.” These careers require vocational programs for hands-on experience, but they do not require university education.

One theme Alurwar found fascinating was the initiative in fostering goodwill towards refugees. Each school had a refugee support office, and they supported scholars and their dependents through the immigration system, employment, and academics. She reflected, 

“It was really nice to see this overarching theme of goodwill, trying to help those that are less fortunate. I found that inspiring to see!” 

At one university she visited, Alurwar learned about Academy in Exile. This program offers scholars an opportunity to resume their work in Germany if threatened because of their intellectual, cultural, or human rights work in their home country. Alurwar was excited to share her copy of What We Brought With Us, which featured participants of Academy in Exile and their stories as refugees. She shared how profits from its sales fund scholarships and awareness for the program.

Ties to UC Davis

Alurwar thoroughly enjoyed the seminars in Berlin and seeks to incorporate learnings in her work at UC Davis. Alurwar would like to improve orientations to provide a more welcoming experience and support for scholar dependents. She’s also collaborating with senior leadership in building partnerships with the connections she made in Germany. Alurwar highlighted the importance of spreading awareness of scholarships. She specifically highlighted the Humboldt Research Fellowship, an opportunity for researchers and postdocs to conduct research in partnership with a German institution.

When asked for advice for future Fulbright IEA applicants, Alurwar stated, 

“I would tell faculty to make sure in their essays they indicate that by participating in a Fulbright IEA seminar, they can help build their institution’s capacity for international education, gain a cross-cultural perspective, and open doors to collaboration with colleagues and students throughout the world.” 

She encouraged faculty to highlight a chance to travel abroad as an asset and describe how these experiences will be shared on campus, in conferences, and in their community.

Program Information

The Fulbright International Education Administrators Awards still have open applications for France and Germany. Both awards are due on February 3, 2025. For more information, visit the webpage here.