Fulbright Scholars Choose NYU-SCPS

As the academic reputation of NYU-SCPS—and its professional and alumni networks—has grown globally, the School has seen an influx of international students. In 2008–2009, nearly 12 percent of students across the 14 master’s degree programs were international students. They come from approximately 48 countries, with South Korea, India, and Canada at the top of the list.

Among our international students are Fulbright Scholars, recipients of grants from the prestigious program of international educational exchange started in 1946 by U.S. Senator J. William Fulbright. Today, the highly selective Fulbright Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and is administered by joint governmental commissions throughout the world. SCPS News interviewed some recent Fulbright Scholars to get their views on why the School holds such particular appeal.

Melanie Vogelbach
Melanie Vogelbach, a graduate of Germany’s Dresden University, was attracted to the School’s reputation, the program at the Center for Global Affairs, and the opportunity to live and work in New York City.

Munich-born and bred, Vogelbach had traveled widely, living in Michigan as a high school exchange student and spending her “gap year” before college as a volunteer in Ecuador and El Salvador, and then her college year-abroad in Chile. Vogelbach worked briefly at the German embassy in New York and saw the chance to return as one of the advantages of studying at NYU-SCPS.

“If you’re interested in international relations,” she explains, “you’ve got the United Nations here and the NGOs (nongovernmental organizations). There’s a huge network to tap into.”

The practice-based approach of the curriculum was a major difference, and benefit, from her prior academic experiences. “The Center for Global Affairs has former diplomats, successful business people, journalists, and NGO professionals on the faculty. They make the coursework particularly interesting, because students can immediately understand how theoretical knowledge is applied in the professional world.”

Salar Farooki
The lure of the Big Apple was equally strong for Salar Farooki. A graduate of Pakistan’s Lahore University of Management Sciences, where he earned a B.Sc. in Economics, Farooki aspires to a career in brand management and is enrolled in the M.S. in Integrated Marketing program. Farooki’s other love is music, playing in a rock band after going to work for an investment bank. So, for him the New York music scene was a strong draw.

“I figured I could get the business education at NYU-SCPS but also live in a real laid-back city,” Farooki explains. “I have the best of both worlds, the marketing and the music.”

Between semesters, Farooki managed to network his way into a plum “gig.” An NYU-SCPS classmate and fellow rock musician introduced Farooki to an executive at Sirius XM Radio. The result: a rewarding internship.

Hamza Javed
It was New York’s burgeoning computer animation community and the faculty of the Center for Advanced Digital Applications (CADA) that attracted Hamza Javed, another Lahore University alumnus, to NYU-SCPS.

After honing his technical and design expertise as an undergraduate, Javed aspired to learn the artistry of film animation. But, he eschewed theoretically focused fine arts programs in favor of the practice-oriented curriculum offered at NYU-SCPS and its faculty of experienced film industry professionals.
“It wasn’t just the content at CADA,” he emphasizes. “It was the professors who made an impact on me. Every day with them was a learning experience.”

Now back home, Javed’s goal is to develop his new company, Headbumped, as a leader in Pakistan’s nascent animated-film industry—doing serious films, he adds, “not just a lot of furry bunnies.” Javed is also concentrating on developing a program to help train Pakistani filmmakers in digital animation.