Caribbean recipients of the prestigious U.S. Fulbright Scholarships will share their experiences throughout November in Facebook chats hosted by the United States Embassy to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean.
Dominican Claudius Sanford, who is presently in the United States on a Fulbright Faculty Development Scholarship, will be the featured scholar on November 17th. Sanford, a former Deputy Leader of the United Worker Party in Dominica, and a teacher at Dominica State College will join the discussion online from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville where he is pursuing a Master’s degree in Economic Policy.
The chats, on the U.S. Embassy’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/USEmbassyBarbados), started last Thursday with Vincentian Fulbright Scholar Maxine Browne and Barbadian Fulbright alumna Stephanie Alleyne-Bishop.
During the chat, Alleyne-Bishop who attained her Master’s degree in Communications from Ohio University spoke highly of her Fulbright experience, saying she had “made lifelong friends through the Fulbright program” and noting that “the greatest moments happened outside the classroom.”
Browne, a government dance development officer who is presently studying for Master’s degree in Arts Administration at American University, said that though the application process “takes time”, she “would do it all over again” because of the “awesome opportunity” the Fulbright program has provided.
Public Affairs Officer Rebecca Ross said of the initiative:
“We see these live chat events as a way to let more people know about the many scholarship opportunities which the Embassy offers. We think that hearing about it first hand from Caribbean people like themselves who have benefited from it is a good way to encourage more people to apply.”
There are five more chats scheduled for the month, with the next one set for Thursday, November 10th at 2 p.m. The chat will be about the Hubert Humphrey Fellowship for mid-career professionals and Antiguan Humphrey Fellow Morvin Williams will talk about his experience.
During International Education Week (November 14-18), there will be two other chats in addition to the one with Sanford. On November 15th, student visas will be in focus with an Embassy consular officer online to discuss the application process. On November 16th, all are invited to learn about Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) from Embassy officers Kristin Mencer and Joia Starks who are alumna of prestigious HBCUs.
The final chat for the month will be on November 23rd where an officer of the Embassy’s Public Diplomacy office, which administers the scholarships, will participate and answer questions about available scholarships including those for mid-career professionals, educators and for local colleges to bring in U.S. scholars and experts.
People wishing to participate must be signed up as fans of the Embassy’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/
U guys need to stop all this crap and encourage this young man to do well and hopefully go back home and make some well needed changes so our beautiful Dominica can move forward.This is an intelligent young man who is well deserving of the opportunity he was afforded.He works hard and deserves to be respected.We as a people need to stop hating and being so narrow-minded and encourage our educated ambitious people to do well and go back home to help the country move forward to catch up with the rest of the world.GROW UP PEOPLE.
Congrats Mr. Sanford…you are a role model to alot of young men!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have good Kalinago friends, but I must say that the opportunities afforded to the kalinago people are more than what they general Dominican enjoys… unfortunately many do not embrace those opportunities.
However Sanford, you are a good man, do well for you and your children first and then for Dominica. Let this not be about politics, let us celebrate opportunities and achievements of each other no matter what our political persuasion may be.
quite a number of kalinago people are out in this world doing big and great things. Claudius is one of them. When will Dominicans ever recognize, accept and allow the contribution of its indeginous people. These priveledges that you speak of would have never been afforded to Dominica’s indegines by its own government. we have been marginalized for centuries why all of a sudden you seem to feel that their is some unequal treatment. To each his own, the rest of Dominica’s society have certainly had priveledges and advantages over the indeginous people for a sustained period of time.
Congrates to you Mr. Sanford. From your last article it seems that there is much internal growth and have shown good promise in leadership.
I also agree with one of the other bloggers that you should consider forming your own party with young HIGHLY EDUCATED persons, which would either offer new ideas or lead the country into the future.
ANOTHER SON OF THE SOIL…. WHOSE WORK AND EXPERIENCE WILL BE NEEDED TO HELP STEER OUR BLESSED ISLAND NATION FORWARD…..BLESSINGS!!
This man is being trained and groomed by the CIA to one day try and hand over the country to the US. As small as we are small and poor (in their eyes) we are needed especially when it comes to Cuba and Venezuela.
The US uses whatever means they can to take control….wait and see.
i wouldn’t mind the u.s passport… trust that one lol… and all our people in the u.s that don’t have papers….woooossshhh dominica would be bien merci…
i get the feeling when this guy comes back he won’t be on the uwp train… don’t believe me??? that’s just a gut feeling…
maybe so, but he certainly won’t be on the labour train.
Maybe he might join the Pestina train, FREEDOM
Mr Sanford, congratulations to you, when we as Doninicans dont recognise your potential its good to know persons thinking outside of the box see you as a great potential to others of your likes and you will be rewarded in the feature to move your country to the next level, many scholars who have been receipient of these scholarship are making meaningful contribution to their country and by extension are holders of promient position in international organization; DOMINICA LOOKS FOWARD TO THE QUALITY LEADERSHIP SKILLS YOU WILL GIVE TO HER ON YOUR COMPLETION, GOOD LUCK AND MAY YOU BE BLESSED.
Dr. love wheel and come again the Skerrit lead
Government is the only Government in the history of Dominica that has shown genuine care for the Kalinago people.
AMENNNNNN. AND MR STANFORD I AM PROUD OF YOU NOW THAT YOU HAVE FLUSED YOURSELF OUT OF THAT UWP CULT AND FIND BETTER THINGS TO DO WITH YOUR TIME N HANSOME SELF, I HOPE SPAGS WILL FOLLOW YOUR FOOTSTEPS JUST LIKE BRANKA JONH DID BEFORE YOU AND GET A LIFE FOR HIMSELF.POOR FELLOW MAYBE YOU SHOULD PUT SOME SENSE IN SPAGS HEAD ONCE AGAIN GO FOR IT. TOO HANSOME TO BE AMOUNG UGLY
DEVILS
The man never took out picture by the Dominican flag, but see him playing Obama by the American flag. ebewey partner. You may as well stay over there dude. Seems like you already enjoying the American buscuit. Anyway good luck to you and hope you bring back a little bit of common sense to your colleagues in your failed party.
Wait a minute, all those who took pictures by the dominica flag are now raping the country big time
CONGRATS MY BRO, U ARE A GREAT INSPIRATION TO ME, TAKE GRASP OF THE OPPORUNITY WHEREVER U GET IT.HOWEVER ACCORDING TO SOUTH MAN, AM NOT SURE WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THIS COMMUNICATION WITH THE US EMBASSY,OTHER COUNTRIES HAVE HELPED US EXTREMELY IN OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM, WITH VERY LITTLE HELP FROM THE USA, THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE IN OUR WORK FORCE, ARE NON-US TRAINED. SO UNCLE SAM, U ARE TOO LATE!
ON AN OTHER NOTE, BRO SANFORD IS ORIENTING HIMSELF TOWARDS THE TOP, PREPARING HIMSELF FOR COUNTRY LEADERSHIP, HOWEVER I THINK HE SHOULD FORM A NEW PARTY,CAUSE IN HIS PRESENT PARTY THERE IS A WAR GOING ON FOR LEADERSHIP POSITION. THERE IS NO CLEAR LINE AS TO WHO IS THE LEADER.
I am happy for you my bro.I have always admired you..go for it.give it your best shot.continue making d/a proud…true patriot and ambassador of da
Congrats to you young man, please make good use of this opportunity!
When I took a look at DNO earlier, all they had to report was sports. I was like, five days after so much celebration and promotion of the Prime minister, there is nothing going amn. But I’m happy Mr Sanford’s success kind of covered it out.
On another note, can anyone give an opdate Re the Skeritt case? I know the Judge gave the impression that it would take about a week or so to give a verdict. The Dr. Murray case which involved the death of Michael Jackson was a much bigger case than the case of Skeritt, and yet three days after the Judge heard all aguments he had a verdict out. Why so long to get the verdict of something much smaller?
good going Mr Sanford. I’m happy for you and for DA.
Go my padna, way to go!
What’s the motive for all that fanfare? Is the United States trying to improve its image with a handful of scholarships after neglecting the Caribbean for so long?
The caribbean deserves to be neglected by the US, they must choose their friends wisely
What was the result of Dame Eugenia Charles’ friendship with US President Ronald Reagan? We have been kissing up for decades. The Caribbean helped the USA expel Cuba from the OAS and used the OAS as cover to invade the Dominican Republic. They then turned around and screw up our banana industry. Their only “friends” are their ‘vital interests’.
A handful of scholarships? Y’all people like to talk, talk without knowing the facts. The U.S. embassy has been giving multiple scholarships every year for as long as I can remember.
Every.single.year. Some years they give about 4 and other years they give as many as 8 to 10, depending on how many people qualify because some scholarships you have to compete for globally while others it is just competition within the islands the Embassy covers.
In fact, I know that after 9/11 when people were scared to go to the US, it was really easy to get through because hardly anyone applied.
I’ve received one and it changes your life. You know how expensive university education is at these top places? You could buy house or land with the money cos you looking at about EC$80,000 just for tuition and these scholarships pay tuition, living, airfare, the whole thing.
The U.S. has its faults for sure but in this you’re not being fair.
I HAVE SAID IT BEFORE AND I WILL SAY IT AGAIN,THE SKERRIT LEAD LABOR PARTY GOVERNMENT HAS TRIED THEIR BEST TO KEEP THE KALINAGO IN POVERTY AND STUPID AND IF YOU ARE AFFILITED TO THE UWP,IT IS EVEN WORSE.THEY WILL NOT SUCCEED,YOU GO SANDI.
@’Doctor fool”,If you really read the story you yourself would see that is pure rubbish you talking because it was said quite clearly that the man was EMPLOYED as a Lecturer at the Dominica State College and was Deputy Leader of the UWP,, so if the givernment was as vindictive as the UWP and Freedom Party were when they were in power, this individual would have never been able to work in Dominica, period!!