Fulbright Canada Blog

Michael Hawes: In an interview with Fulbright Canada, Killam Fellow Christina Pierpaoli and Fulbright Scholar Dr. Charles Emlet discuss their passion for their discipline, their decision to collaborate, and the importance of the student-mentor relationship. The Fulbright Program aims to provide an opportunity for impassioned students and scholars to exchange ideas, and to collaborate on leading edge research projects. Learning of this collaboration, and the crossover of these two programs, the Killam Fellowships Program for undergraduate students and the Fulbright Scholar Program, has been extremely exciting. We are proud to have students and scholars like Christina and Charles as our grantees and alumni.

Killam Fellow Christina Pierpaoli and
Fulbright Scholar Dr. Charles Emlet

Christina: I recently had the opportunity to study Italian literature in Urbino, Italy for six weeks on scholarship from Rutgers University. In my brief, but infinitely rewarding exchanges with older Italians there, who ambled daily along the countryside and laughed heartily, I was taken with a curiosity to understand relative differences in healthy longevity. At present, I am a Killam Fellow at the University of Toronto, under the auspices of Fulbright Canada, where I am examining dimensions of aging and cognition. Particularly exciting has been my collaboration with Principal Investigator and Fulbright Scholar Dr. Charles Emlet.

Charles: I am Professor of Social Work from the University of Washington, Tacoma. For my Fulbright award, I went on exchange to McMaster University to understand the lived experiences of older adults living with HIV in Ontario through in-depth interviews. I have always had a passion for gerontology, and this opportunity has given me a chance to further my existing research on aging and HIV with Canadian colleagues, and get a better grasp of how people “age well” with HIV. In reading the profiles of Fulbright Scholars and Killam Fellows at the Fulbright Canada Fall Orientation, I noticed another person that indicated an interest in gerontology. While we were waiting for commencement of the Killam lecture, I approached Christina and inquired about her interest in aging and gerontology. This conversation was revisited over lunch at the Canadian War Museum.

Christina: I was excited to meet the Fulbright scholars as I have a reverence for academia, knowledge, and curiosity. That, for me, is the essence of a Fulbright scholar.  Having quickly learned how genuinely accommodating and approachable the scholars were, I developed a comfort in our discussions.  I found myself talking (complaining) to Dr. Emlet about the dearth of undergraduate research opportunities in aging and life span development. I cited the work of my independent studies and goals for my time at the University of Toronto, where opportunities in academic gerontology seemed comparatively robust, when he mentioned the qualitative research in aging and HIV he would be conducting there during the time of my exchange.

Charles: I suggested we might get together and discuss how she could be involved in my Fulbright research project. We met again after I had been in Ontario for about a week and outlined some of the things she would like to learn from the experiences of a qualitative research project.

Christina: Dr. Emlet and I maintained a dialogue over email until the time of our exchange in January.  I found myself overwhelmed with an eagerness to be in Toronto and begin our exploration of this inquiry.

Charles: The project is a qualitative study, involving 30 in-depth interviews with adults age 50 and over who are HIV+ and aging successfully. The goal is to learn about personal, social and environmental characteristics that assist them in successful aging to see if some of those traits or strategies could be transferred to others. We are finding that there are many older adults who have lived with HIV disease for a long time and are doing quite well. They seem generally excited to share their stories.

Christina: Particularly fascinating about Dr. Emlet’s research are the populations inherent to it. His work seeks to capture and honour the experiences of two historically disenfranchised groups with whom I hope to work clinically in my continued studies of psychology and aging.  The emerging stories of HIV positive elderly had until now, remained relatively unknown.

Charles: I have spent a considerable amount of time studying and working with older HIV+ adults throughout my career. I began working in the field of HIV in 1987 when everybody was dying. I ran an AIDS Home Care project in northern California for 12 years. Since coming to academia, this has been the major focus of my research. Originally focusing on stigma and discrimination, I have recently begun looking at the “positive side” (pun intended) of living with HIV. Older adults are becoming newly infected but many have been living with HIV for 20, 25 or 30 years; to figure out how and why they are doing well, and to witness their stories in an honour. There is almost no research on resilience among older HIV positive adults, so this is very new and exciting territory.

Christina: With Dr. Emlet’s guidance, I hope to improve my qualitative data analysis and interviewing skills. Dr. Emlet is one of the best listeners to whom I have ever had the privilege of talking, and I look forward to refining that highly sophisticated, but grossly underappreciated skill. I have already learned so much! Particularly exciting has been my role in observing and partially facilitating qualitative interviews; having the privilege to hear intimate and inspiring accounts of resilience overwhelms me with gratitude for Dr. Emlet’s mentorship, and also engenders excitement for my prospective clinical work.  In listening to their stories, I am reminded of the silence of human strength and suffering, and I am reminded that everyone has a story.  This has been a humbling exercise.

Charles: I have involved undergrads in my research on several previous occasions. I love the excitement and enthusiasm that they bring, and Christina is no exception. She is so engaged and excited about gerontology in general and this project in particular. Christina brings fresh eyes and lots of questions to the process. She will often ask questions about how or why something is being done which makes me think. Having her come from what the Zen teacher Shunryu Suzuki, called “beginners mind” is very helpful. When something is new to you it is never approached in a rote way. I really am enjoying her inquisitive and questioning nature. 

Christina: I am honoured to work alongside Dr. Emlet, whose work has contributed so meaningfully to the lives of older adults and the HIV community, and continues to inspire students like myself, who are interested in those empirically underrepresented populations.  Working with impassioned educators and scholars like Dr. Emlet reinforces my passion for knowledge, education, and research. Being a mentee has affirmed my competence as a producer of knowledge- not merely a consumer of it.

Charles: The student and the professor learn from one another. The professor needs to come in with an idea of learning as well as the student. In this project, we are learning about how people live well and age successfully with HIV disease. They are the experts in this not me. So as Christina and I collaborate, we learn together from the people being interviewed. We learn what works for them and why. Maybe we learn enough to begin to create some potential interventions for those not doing so well. We have a three way team in some way, researcher, student and participant. The relationship is important for a couple reasons. I am a social worker and as such often have difficulty getting students to understand the importance of research and its impact on social work practice. So by entering into a student-scholar relationship the student can hopefully see – first hand – its value. On another level, part of our job as scholars is to mentor and bring up the next generation of researchers. In this case Gerontological researchers. Through this relationship you can pass the baton, so to speak, about researching important issues in aging and gerontology. Christina is very committed to gerontology, which is great, now we just need to work on the HIV part.

On a very cold and snowy day in the last week of January, I traveled to The Donkey Sanctuary of Canada in Guelph, Ontario.  This Sanctuary was founded in 1992 as a refuge for donkeys, mules, and hinnies that are neglected, abused, or can no longer be cared for by their owners.  Set on 100 acres of picturesque rolling fields, wetlands, and walking trails, the Sanctuary is a tranquil place to visit, and is open to the public from May to October.   I was warmly welcomed by executive director Katharin Harkins, and toured around by Lee, the education director.  After the tour, and once acclimated to the layout, I took out my camera and began filming.

I’m now in the early stages of a feature documentary that poetically illustrates the daily life of a donkey.  The hope is to illustrate mankind’s relationship to this forgotten animal and the care that goes into rehabilitating them after the remarkable abuses they have endured.  The film includes footage in Guelph, as well as places in Europe.  My camera captured the small moments of intimacy between the donkeys, the employees who care for their everyday needs, and the elderly who see the donkey when the donkeys are brought on visits to retirement homes.  Interestingly enough, the donkeys are as curious about me (and the camera) as I am of them.  Their curiosity, intelligence and personalities are visually captivating.  If you have a moment, visit the Donkey Sanctuary of Canada website, or if you live near Guelph, go and check it out for yourself!

Website: http://www.thedonkeysanctuary.ca/

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Donkey-Sanctuary-of-Canada/120101861347541

Ashley Sabin
2012-13 Fulbright scholar

Ashley Sabin is a 2012-13 Fulbright student who went on exchange to Concordia University. Ashley’s interest is in nonfiction documentary storytelling.  Along with her partner, David Redmon, she has produced, directed, edited, and photographed six films: Mardi Gras: Made in China (2005), Kamp Katrina (2007), Intimidad (2008), Invisible Girlfriend (2009), Girl Model (2012), and Downeast (2012).  Mardi Gras: Made in China was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. Kamp Katrina and Intimidad both premiered at the Museum of Modern Art and the South by Southwest Film Festival, all of Sabin’s films have screened on domestic and international television stations. Girl Model received funding through the Sundance Institute, Cinereach, Puffin Foundation, Harvard Radcliffe Institute, and The Fledgling fund. It will air on POV, CBC, PBS and the BBC.

Girl Model is playing nationally in the United States on March 24 at 10:00 pm. http://www.pbs.org/pov/girlmodel/#.US-As46TY20

Fulbright Scholar
Eileen Angelini

I continue to be amazed by how my 2010-2011 Canada-U.S. Fulbright Award as a Visiting Research Chair in Globalization and Cultural Studies at McMaster University (Hamilton, ON) thrives and blossoms.  Most recently, on Monday, January 21, 2013, I delivered a lecture, “Une Histoire peu connue de la discrimination en Nouvelle-Angleterre:  Les Attaques du Ku Klux Klan sur les Franco-Américains lors de la première moitié du 20^ème siècle,” at the Royal Military College of Canada (RMCC) at the invitation of fellow Fulbrighter, Joel J. Sokolsky, Principal of RMCC, and Mr. Jean Lamarre of the History Department who has written extensively on the Francophone presence in the United States.  Joel and I met for the first time in October 2011 when we were both presenters at the U.S.-Canada Exchange Alumni Symposium, Partners, Allies, Friends:  U.S.-Canada Relations in Focus in Ottawa.

RMCC (www.rmc.ca) is a unit of the Canadian Forces (CF) responsible for the professional military development and education of Officer Cadets and as an accredited university under the laws of the Province of Ontario, also serves the broader educational and research interests of the Department of National Defense (DND) through its graduate programs (which are open to civilian students), continual learning division and research activities.  It is a bilingual institution operating in French and English and which offers all its undergraduate programs in both languages. Its motto is Truth, Duty, Valour and its mission is to produce “officers well educated.”  Imagine my delight when Joel presented me with a copy of Lieutenant-Colonel Peter N. Dawe’s Truth•Duty•Valor:  Serving Canada Since 1876/Vérité•Devoir•Vaillance:  Au Service du Canada depuis 1876, a beautifully illustrated history of RMCC.

The beauty in the on-going development of these Fulbright connections lies in the fact that each party’s point of view is cultivated and enhanced by each other’s perspective.  For example, the focus of my Fulbright Award was the exploration of the Francophone populations of North America.  As traditional French textbooks, particularly ones geared for the introductory level, rarely dedicate more than one chapter to Quebec and even less to Canada’s other French-speaking regions and to the Franco-American communities in the United States, I was particularly keen on researching the history and culture of the Francophone populations of North American so as to make the study of French more relevant to my students at Canisius College.  As Canisius is located in Buffalo, NY, I have the added benefit that, on average, one-third of my students are Canadian with an additional handful from Haiti and Louisiana.  Thus, my classes definitely have a more cross-border focus than one would normally expect from a college-level French course.

My lecture at RMCC, delivered in French in historic Currie Hall, to Officer Cadets and faculty, detailed the following:  Un aperçu historique concis de la connexion française entre le Canada et la Nouvelle-Angleterre avec une attention particulière au documentaire de Ben Levine, Réveil – Waking Up French: The Repression and Renaissance of the French in New Englandet un accent particulier sur le KKK en Nouvelle-Angleterre.  Referring to my Fulbright article, “New England and Canada:  Understanding the Language, Cultural, and Historical Connections,”published at <www.toutcanadien.com>, I explained:

“En 1900, la population du Québec avait considérablement augmenté. Toutefois, cette vaste population grevait désormais les terres agricoles disponibles. Dans le même temps, la Nouvelle-Angleterre exploitait le pouvoir hydraulique de grands fleuves pour des usines de textile de plus en plus larges qui avaient besoin de travailleurs. Un flot de plus d’un million de Québécois français catholiques est tombé du Québec dans des villes de Nouvelle-Angleterre en grande partie anglaises protestantes, crééant autant de petits Canadas, des banlieues françaises, à tel point que la Nouvelle-Angleterre était appelée Québec en Sud, “Lower Québec.”

Contrairement aux immigrants européens de la même période, ces Québécois vivaient à peine un jour de voyage en train de leur destination et voulaient uniquement rester assez longtemps pour économiser une somme d’argent suffisante pour revenir au Québec et redémarrer leurs fermes et recommencer les modes de vie qu’ils avaient laissés derrière eux. Ils étaient extrêmement fidèles à leur mode de vie français et catholique, qui soulignait la communauté, la coopération et la dévotion plutôt que la vie individuelle, compétitive, et matérialiste répandue aux États-Unis. Ils étaient si fidèles à leur mode de vie français et catholique qu’ils ont maintenu leur culture en dépit de nombreux obstacles.

Pourtant, les villes anglaises protestantes ont pris peur de cet afflux de gens qui parlaient une langue différente et pratiquaient une religion différente. Ils ont blâmé les prêtres pour encourager les Québécois à ne pas s’intégrer, de ne pas apprendre l’anglais. Dans les villes partout en Nouvelle-Angleterre la tension montait. Des élites protestantes parlant anglais ont formé des branches du Ku Klux Klan, menacé et attaqué de nombreuses collectivités françaises du Massachusetts au Maine. Bénéficiant d’un nombre plus large que dans le sud du pays, les membres du Klan dans la Nouvelle-Angleterre étaient puissants et bien établis. Parmi plusieurs membres qui ont servi en tant que leaders civiques, l’un a été élu gouverneur du Maine. Le KKK de la Nouvelle-Angleterre a même eu un auxiliaire pour les femmes!

The ensuing discussion was highly enriching as one attendee asked me if a Franco-American defined him/herself by his/her language or by his/her cultural heritage.  As I am of Acadian, Native American, and Irish descent on my mother’s side and of Italian descent on my father’s side, I needed a moment to reflect since I felt I also had a bias as a Professor of French.  So I offered that even though Franco-Americans had lost their language, they had not lost their culture steeped in the Catholic faith whereas Quebeccers had safeguarded their language but lost their faith.  The discussion then centered on other immigrant groups to the United States and how that even though the transfer of the native language from one generation to another is thwarted by the predominance of the use of English in the United States, these groups steadfastly identify themselves by their cultural heritage so much so than when there was the huge influx of Quebeccers to New England in the 1920s to work in the textile mills, they were viewed with much trepidation by not only Protestant groups but by Italian-Americans and Irish-Americans (especially when the Quebeccers would cross picket lines and work for the lowest wages).  After my lecture, Joel spoke to the relevance of the immigrant discussion and then graciously offered to have me back to RMCC to present my Fulbright project on the Acadians and Cajuns.

Eileen M. Angelini, Ph.D.
Professor of French and Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Palmes Académiques
Department of Modern Languages, Literatures, and Cultures
Canisius College
2001 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14208-1098
Tel:  (716) 888-2829, Fax:  (716) 888-3268
E-mail:  eileen.angelini@canisius.edu

Standing in the middle of 15, 000 people on Ottawa’s historic Sparks street, radio in hand, the crowd drowning out the voices in my earpiece and unable to move, I was beginning to feel a little in over my head. It was mid-November when the Sparks Street Mall Business Improvement Area asked if I would help them organize Canada’s first ever Times Square-style New Year’s Eve party. It would feature a live DJ, Juno-Award winning headliner the Arkells, and a ball drop–all on Sparks street, in the heart of the capital’s corporate sector, just blocks from Parliament Hill and the same place where Thomas D’Arcy McGee, Father of Confederation, Member of Parliament and Federal Cabinet Minister, was assassinated in April 1868. The idea had been floating around since July, but like any well-organized festival, getting approval from, you guessed it – all three levels of government – can be daunting.

The motivation for this free, public night out was simple. We were a group of young professionals who wanted to showcase our city – Ottawa, as so much more than just a hub for politics and government. We were tired of getting sidestepped and written off as incapable of fun by our fellow Canadians. My colleagues, a combination of public relations practitioners and special events planners, chose a very public mechanism to make this bold statement and dispel the myths. In doing so, they were in familiar territory. I, on the other hand, a policy student at Carleton University’s Arthur Kroeger College of Public Affairs, with a background in non-profit organization management, research and public service was, admittedly, out of my element.

Although nervous, I was excited to undertake this new challenge. I often struggle with the somewhat solitary day-to-day tasks associated with being an undergraduate student, as most of them occur at a desk in front of a computer. I thrive off hands-on experiences that involve high levels of interaction with others, so I jumped at the opportunity to develop a volunteer strategy, put together a team, and coordinate volunteer services on New Year’s Eve.

This wasn’t the only initiative I had the chance to take part in over the holiday season. Every year, I head back to my high school, Philemon Wright, in Gatineau, Quebec, to help coordinate the Daniel Johnson Community Food Drive and Dinner – a tradition I founded in 2007 that sees teenagers organize a day of events to welcome new Canadians to the city. Watching students weave effortlessly through linguistic, cultural and social lines while defying every teenage stereotype is a definite seasonal highlight. Combined with helping to host a New Year’s party for locals in Ottawa, I couldn’t think of a better send off for my Spring exchange as a Killam Fellow at American University in Washington, D.C.

What a send off it turned out to be! By 11 pm on New Year’s Eve, it was clear that our casual street party, aimed at bringing Ottawans together to ring in 2013 exceeded the expectations and projections of every related governing body, business authority and event planner. Our goal was to attract 6,000 to 10, 000 people. Final estimates rested between 18, 000 and 20, 000 bodies at midnight. Although I don’t remember the specifics of the evening (it wasn’t the one glass of champagne, but rather the chaos, exhaustion and sheer disbelief), I have vivid images of the street coming to life with guests, not only from across Canada, but from London, France, Denmark and New York City, armed with Beavertails and hot chocolate. This ‘street party’ had quickly turned into a tourist attraction, bringing with it the standard benefits of massive crowds. Local vendors and hotels were reaping the benefits and thanking us for the exposure and traffic, while guests flattered us with kudos and gratitude for the best New Year’s Eve Ottawa has ever seen.

It wasn’t until the thousands of attendees streamed out after midnight that we began to breathe normally and communication was restored on our radios. One of the best comments I heard as everyone flooded out past me was that Ottawa felt like a real city. Not only did I get to be a part of this grand display of spirit and pride, but I got a sneak peak into a world that I would have otherwise never been exposed to, encompassing business, tourism, culture, entertainment and, yes, legislation. I also learned of the sheer commitment and dedication of local volunteers, both independent and from Ottawa’s Rotary Club, who welcomed the evening’s crowd with grace and made us all seem far more collected and coherent than we could have been.

Our once lively, bright-eyed four-person team stayed on site until 6 am before succumbing to what was, I’m sure, the best sleep we will ever have (even better than that one after finals).  Despite the sleep deprivation, we felt as though we had made our case: this level of interaction at public gatherings for the sheer purpose of celebration and social bonding is just as important as the everyday politicking and governance in Ottawa. Moreover, as a city, we are no doubt capable of pursuing and accomplishing both successfully. On a personal level, I was reminded of the importance of being open-minded, maintaining an interdisciplinary approach and diversifying my learning experiences…not only as an academic and inside the classroom, but as a life-long learner, professional and human being. These are just a few of the things the Killam Fellowships program encourages and promotes through its bi-national residential and academic exchange between Canada and the United States, as well as its emphasis on community involvement through programs such as the Killam Day of Action. I can’t wait to begin my exchange at American University and dive in to the opportunities of a new city and community, and be exposed to fresh learning experiences in and outside of the lecture hall!

Layla Farhat is a third-year undergraduate student at Carleton University’s Arthur Kroeger College of Public Affairs. She will be studying as a Killam Fellow at American University in Washington, D.C in their Departments of Government and Economics as well as the School of International Service for the Spring 2013 term. 

Rebecca Cohn (2012-2013) Killam Fellow at the National War Museum at Orientation in Ottawa

The Killam Fellowships program will be offering me a fantastic opportunity to experience academic life at the University of Washington in Seattle, where I will be studying beginning in January 2013. I am looking forward to being able to truly experience all that Seattle has to offer, not just as a visiting tourist, but as a full-time student.

While on exchange, I will have the opportunity to apply for a travel grant through Fulbright Canada’s Mobility Program. I cannot wait to further explore the United States, to meet new people and to absorb the culture of the American way of life, as well as to share my Canadian culture with others. With a goal to study medicine, I am especially excited to be studying at the University of Washington, a leading research institution, where I will be able to attend presentations by leading researchers in their fields, something I would never have been able to experience otherwise.

Over the years, whether through volunteer work, university or extracurricular activities, I have met several fascinating individuals who have made an impact on my life. By far, my most meaningful memories are those that centre on those people with whom I have built connections and shared experiences. This is what is at the heart of this program and what I am most excited about discovering on my exchange in the United States.

_ Rebecca Cohn 2012-2013 Killam Fellow
From McGill University to the University of Washington

Fulbright Canada alumna Annie Sabourin (1999-2000) was recently awarded a 2012-13 Action Canada Fellowship. Action Canada is the only Canadian fellowship that combines leadership development and cross-country conferences to allow fellows to explore public policy choices for Canada`s future.  Fellows are chosen from all sectors, including business, science, government, academia and the professional fields.

Born on Montreal’s south shore, Annie Sabourin is the Institutional Relations Advisor in the office of the rector of Université de Montréal, Quebec’s largest university. Previously, she was a senior analyst at the Montreal Board of Trade, working on issues of economic development, international affairs, public finance, and culture.

In 1999, Annie completed a bachelor of arts degree in Political Science and East-Asian Studies at Université de Montréal. She received a Fulbright Canada award to study international relations and economics at the Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). During her studies, Annie focused on Canada and US cooperation in foreign policy towards China, and worked for six months at the Canadian embassy in Beijing.

Annie is passionate about Canada’s plan to increase long-term prosperity through innovation and the continuous improvement of human capital. She believes in increasing support to keep youth in school and enhancing accessibility to post-secondary education. She contributes to the development of her community as a member of the executive committee of the board of directors of Collège Édouard-Montpetit.

Annie lives in Montreal with her husband and daughter.