I came to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in August 2004 to start a Master's program in Higher Educational Administration as a Fulbright graduate student. However, my Fulbright journey started much earlier, even though the dates of my Fulbright term might indicate otherwise. It started in 1996 when I proudly joined the freshmen class as a student of English and Ukrainian at the Horlivka State Pedagogical Institute of Foreign Languages.
The Institute's outstanding faculty inspired me to make the most of my education every day. In my sophomore year, as I started to teach in the Translation Department and became involved with the local Peace Corps volunteers, I realized that much valuable education was happening outside the classroom. With the collaborative effort of some enthusiastic students, Peace Corps volunteers, and colleagues, an English Theater Club and an English Discussion Club were formed at my alma mater. The students' outstanding academic and professional achievements, demonstrated through their involvement in out-of-classroom activities, inspired me to apply for a Fulbright in order to study Higher Educational Administration with a focus on Student Affairs.
My two years of studying and one year of internship in the United States exposed me to a completely different system of education. Much can be said about the quality of American education, particularly graduate studies. However, I am going to focus on two aspects: academic honesty and collaboration. Academic honesty basically means always using your own ideas and research as well as giving appropriate credit to other people's intellectual property by citing their works. I believe that academic honesty in college contributes to students' personal and professional integrity, which ultimately makes them better citizens and highly qualified professionals in their fields. Also a substantial part of higher education is learning to work in teams. Collaboration is not just a group of people working together; it is a skill that needs to be developed. It is the ability to listen to and to respect other people's opinions, and consequently to arrive at a consensus that is the result of a team effort. I believe that honesty and collaboration are only two of many other important aspects that make U.S. higher education truly liberal. VALUABLE??
Do students ever have fun, you may ask? Yes, they do. Work hard and play hard! I had a multitude of great opportunities to get involved and develop my professional skills in numerous positions I held on campus, to travel around the country, and most importantly, to make many wonderful friendships with people from all over the world.
And it all started in Horlivka…You are on the right track! However, as Will Rogers said, "Even if you are on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there."
