Julia Pataky embarked on her journey as an Austrian Fulbright student in fall 2018 to pursue her MA in intercultural and international communication at American University’s School of International Service in Washington, DC. Prior to her studies in the United States, Julia worked to strengthen public diplomacy relations between Austria and the US at the Public Affairs Section of the US Embassy Vienna. During her time at the EU delegation to the US, she contributed to the strategic implementation of the European Commission’s foreign-policy instruments in the United States. Julia has presented her research on US public diplomacy and the EU’s internal and external public-diplomacy strategies at numerous conferences, including the Annual Fulbright Conference in 2019 and 2020. After completing her post-academic training at Germany’s federal cultural institute, the Goethe-Institut, in Kansas City, Missouri, she has now returned home to Vienna, Austria, where she continues to pursue her passion of fostering mutual understanding between the US and Austria.

When we asked Julia about her Fulbright experience, she shared this thought with us: "Reflecting on my Fulbright experience in retrospect, I have now fully come to realize the life-changing impact my Fulbright grant in Washington, DC, has had on my personal, academic, and professional endeavors. I am forever grateful to Fulbright Austria for the opportunity to experience first-hand the power of mutual understanding, which has allowed me to thrive in myriad ways."

Don’t miss out on this exciting alum chat!