Romanian-U.S. Fulbright Commission

🌸 Our U.S. Fulbrighters have been busy this spring, participating in lectures, workshops, conferences, cultural events, and international exchange programs across Romania and beyond, alongside their usual teaching and research activities. Swipe through for a selection of highlights! 🇺🇸🇷🇴

Read more about their activities: https://fulbright.ro/news/

Based on her work as a Fulbright Researcher in 2024–2025, Dr. Andreea Mosila has published the volume 𝑭𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒊𝒍𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒏 𝑺𝒇𝒂̂𝒏𝒕𝒖 𝑮𝒉𝒆𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒉𝒆. 𝑷𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒔̦𝒕𝒊 𝒅𝒆 𝒗𝒊𝒂𝒕̦𝒂̆, 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒕̦𝒊𝒊 𝒔̦𝒊 𝒍𝒖𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒂 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒏𝒖 𝒔𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒆 (𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑊𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛 𝑖𝑛 𝑆𝑓𝑎̂𝑛𝑡𝑢 𝐺ℎ𝑒𝑜𝑟𝑔ℎ𝑒. 𝑆𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑠, 𝑇𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑎 𝐿𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑁𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝐷𝑖𝑒𝑠), co-authored with Mira Bălan and published by Ideea Europeană Publishing House, 2026.

The volume explores the life stories, traditions, and lived experiences of women from the village of Sfântu Gheorghe in the Danube Delta. It is based on oral history interviews and fieldwork conducted over several years, highlighting personal narratives and broader reflections on community memory, resilience, and social change.

Read more about the volume: https://www.ideeaeuropeana.ro/carti/istorie-politica/femeile-din-sfantu-gheorghe/

Violinist and professor Kevin Lawrence of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, currently affiliated with the "Gheorghe Dima" National Academy of Music as a 2025-2026 U.S. Fulbright Scholar, recently completed a series of performances, lectures, and masterclasses in Brașov, Bucharest, and Cluj-Napoca.

Highlights included a recital with pianist Diana Ichim at Transilvania University of Brașov (April 24), featuring works by Aaron Copland, Maurice Ravel, Wynton Marsalis, Augusta Read Thomas, and Paul Schoenfield, highlighting both established and contemporary American repertoire; a three-day residency at the National University of Music Bucharest including a lecture on string pedagogy, a recital, and a chamber music masterclass (April 27-29); and participation in the 18th Art and Education International Conference in Cluj-Napoca, which included both a lecture entitled “Shaping the Rising Generation of Young Musicians: Thoughts from the American Experience” and a recital performance as part of the artistic program (May 6).

Across these events, Lawrence shared American violin repertoire and pedagogical perspectives with students, faculty, and audiences, advancing artistic and academic exchange through the Fulbright Program.

📢✨️ Applications are open for the 2027-2028 Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program! The program provides awards for 🇺🇸 U.S. academics, artists, and professionals to teach, conduct research, and pursue professional projects in 🇷🇴 Romania.

✅ Explore the available Fulbright U.S. Scholar awards to Romania: https://bit.ly/USFulbrightScholar
✅ Check application steps and requirements: https://fulbrightscholars.org/us-scholar-awards
✅ Apply by September 15, 2026
✅ Register your interest to receive program updates, webinar schedules, and valuable resources to assist with your application: https://fulbrightscholars.org/connect

👉 If you know U.S. scholars who would be strong candidates for a Fulbright award in Romania, please share this information with them.

After an engaging first week in Bucharest, the TGC group of 12 U.S. educators continued their journey across Romania, spending the second week immersed in local school communities in Buzău, Iași, Roman, and Sibiu. 🇷🇴🇺🇸

Working side by side with Romanian teachers and Fulbright alumni, they stepped into classrooms, observed and co-taught lessons, exchanged ideas with students and educators, and explored how schools function in different local contexts. From STEM and robotics lessons to foreign language, arts and social studies classes, as well as teacher roundtables and student-led activities, the experience offered a close-up view of everyday school life across the country.

✨This was made possible thanks to the dedication and generosity of our host teachers and schools:

• Colegiul Național „Costache Negruzzi” Iași – Cristina Mocanu
• Colegiul Național „Roman-Vodă” Roman – Beatrice Neagu
• Liceul Tehnologic „Alexandru Ioan Cuza” Buzău – Corina Moise Poenaru
• Colegiul Național „Octavian Goga” Sibiu – Cosmina Almășan
• Colegiul Național Pedagogic „Andrei Șaguna” Sibiu – Ioana Opriș

Beyond the classroom, each city opened a window into its own history and culture, through guided visits, community events, and time spent getting to know the people and places that shape these learning environments.

Back in Bucharest, it was a real pleasure to hear the group of U.S. teachers reflect on their experiences, share insights from their host communities, and begin to connect those moments to their own teaching practice.

More than anything, this group stood out for their openness, curiosity, and generosity in every interaction, qualities that made this exchange not just meaningful, but genuinely memorable. 🌍📚

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who contributed to this experience and helped build these connections across classrooms and communities.🤝

Last week, we had the pleasure of welcoming a group of 12 U.S. educators to Bucharest, as part of the Teachers for Global Classrooms Program International Field Experience. 🌍

This marks the first time Romania is hosting this component of the program, which brings together K–12 educators from across the United States for a two-week professional and cultural exchange.

During their first week in Bucharest, participants explored the Romanian education system through conversations with policymakers, university faculty, and Fulbright alumni, engaged in interactive sessions on teaching practices and current challenges, and visited local schools where they connected directly with students, teachers, and school leaders. 🎓

Beyond the formal program, they also experienced the cultural side of the city, from a guided tour of central Bucharest to an evening at the Romanian Athenaeum. 🎶

The group has now continued their journey to host communities in Buzău, Iași, Sibiu, and Roman, where they will spend the week working alongside Romanian teachers and TEA alumni in local schools. 🏫

We are grateful to all our partners, speakers, and host teachers who made this first week such a meaningful exchange, and we look forward to welcoming the group back to Bucharest for the closing of the program. ✨

🎻 Live Classical Music in Bucharest – Tonight! 🎻

Join us this evening, April 28 at 7:00 PM, for a special concert featuring U.S. Scholar Kevin Lawrence, professor of violin and String Department Chair at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.

📍 Location: National University of Music Bucharest – George Enescu Hall
🎟️ Admission: FREE

✨ Last week, we had the pleasure of bringing together our group of U.S. Fulbrighters for the Spring Meeting in Timișoara. It was a good opportunity for everyone to reconnect and share the many exciting activities they’ve been involved in since our last meetup in December.

📜 Under the expert guidance of Fulbright alumna Florentina Popescu, the group explored the city and learned about it's history and geography. Thank you, Florentina!

🖼️ We also visited Existing in Multitudes, an exhibition by U.S. Fulbrighter Jessica Reisch at Galeria cu Platani, UVT Art Center. The exhibition reflects on the relationships between living entities beyond an anthropocentric perspective, exploring alternatives to dominant hierarchical structures and turning toward interconnected, decentralized models. Congratulations, Jessica!👏

From March 26–29, Romanian Student Ștefan Bonchiș participated in the 2026 Fulbright Enrichment Seminar, held in Washington, D.C.

This year’s seminar marked a special moment, celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Fulbright Program alongside the 250th anniversary of the United States, under the theme “Building a Nation.” The event brought together over 100 Fulbright Foreign Students from around the world, offering a unique space for dialogue, collaboration, and cultural exchange.

During the seminar, Ștefan engaged in conversations with representatives of the U.S. Department of State, including Sherry Keneson-Hall, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, and Mary Kirk, Director of the Office of Academic Exchange Programs, who oversees the Fulbright Student and Scholar Programs globally.

Ștefan is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Agricultural Economics at the University of Arkansas, focusing on agribusiness and international trade. Reflecting on the experience, he noted: “It was a truly enriching experience, and I am grateful for the opportunity to represent Romania within this global academic community.” 🎓

Are you thinking of applying for a Fulbright Student Award or pursuing graduate studies in the U.S.? Join us online for a Graduate Essay Writing Workshop!

🗓️ Date: Wednesday, April 22, at 4:00 p.m.
👉 Workshop coordinator: Amelia Harrington, Fulbright ETA at West University of Timișoara, with a PhD in English Literary Studies from the University of South Dakota

ℹ️ Amelia will share insights on writing compelling essays, analyze excerpts from successful Fulbright applications, and offer advice on how to effectively showcase your skills and qualifications. The workshop will also cover techniques for refining language and style.

🔗 Find the Zoom link in the comments below!