THE Embassy of the United States of America in Brunei Darussalam yesterday announced Awangku Muhammad Aizat bin Pengiran Yasmin as the 2018 recipient of the Fulbright Foreign Student Programme.
Awangku Aizat will soon embark on a two-year graduate study programme at Southern Illinois University – Carbondale in Illinois.
The Embassy’s Chargé d’Affaires Scott E Woodard recently met with Awangku Aizat to congratulate him, saying, “The Fulbright programme is our most prestigious educational exchange programme, giving Bruneians the opportunity to realise their academic aspirations at some of America’s finest schools.
“Awangku Aizat is a great addition to our group of Bruneian Fulbrighters who represent a wonderful mix of professionals that went on to contribute to Brunei’s development.”
On receiving the award, Awangku Aizat said, “The Fulbright programme is a once-in-a lifetime opportunity. I hope to gain beneficial knowledge from Southern Illinois University, experience life in Middle America and most importantly, this is an opening for me to advance confidently in the right direction, to continue striving and pursue meaningful work.”
The Fulbright programme is the flagship international educational exchange programme sponsored by the US Government, designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the US and the people of other countries.
The Fulbright programme was established in 1946 under a legislation introduced by the late Senator J William Fulbright of Arkansas. It is administered by the Department of State and the Institute of International Education (IIE).
Now in its 70th year, the programme has provided more than 370,000 participants with the opportunity to exchange ideas while observing each other’s cultures and political and economic institutions.
Around the globe, Fulbright alumni include 33 current or former heads of state or government; 54 Nobel Laureates; 82 Pulitzer Prize winners; 29 MacArthur Foundation Fellows; 16 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients; and thousands of leaders across the private, public, and non-profit sectors.