Much has changed in the 75 years since Fulbright Austria was founded. While the commission was initially one of the only means of academic and cultural exchange between Austria and the US, today there are numerous institutions who encourage and finance exchanges between the two countries. And Austrians aren’t short of opportunities to explore other corners of the planet either: from Erasmus+ and bilateral agreements between Austrian institutions and other European and global institutions to study-abroad programs and research exchanges offered by non- and for-profit organizations, Fulbright Austria now has significant competition to contend with.

That competition means that though the Fulbright Program in general is still well known in the United States, the program doesn’t enjoy the same level of visibility in Austria that it did in the 20th century. Even in a digital world in which social media allows us to connect with Austrians beyond info sessions and educational fairs, the need to compete has encouraged Fulbright Austria to think beyond its well-established box and to explore new ways of expanding awareness of the opportunities the commission has offered for 75 years—and will continue to offer for the next 75.

With one eye cast toward decades of tradition and the other focused on the future, Fulbright Austria set out to create new relationships not just with media outlets, but also with content creators. The excitement of exploration was tinged with the fear of failure as we emailed media outlets, made calls to potential new contacts, and slid into the DMs of the creators we hoped to work with. When the first registration came in, the commission’s staff knew that we were on the right track, and we prepared for the press event with a renewed sense of possibility.

On the day of the press event, it was clear that the storied history of the Fulbright Program was important. But we wanted the spotlight to shine primarily on our current, former, and future program participants—after all, what value is a storied history without the stories it encapsulates? So after representatives of the US and Austrian governments and of Fulbright Austria gave statements and answered questions, attention turned to the community members we invited to share their experiences in our programs, to recount their version of what makes the Fulbright Austria experience more than just a simple academic and cultural exchange. And it was precisely those personal stories that the attendees were most interested in.

The impact of the press event was immediate: we were asked if representatives of the press could attend our main anniversary event, where they were again able to interact with members of our community, this time with alums spanning the entire 75-year history of Fulbright Austria. Articles were published, videos were produced, and future collaborations were discussed—some of which have already come to fruition. And now, the commission has contacts it can reach out to and who will, in turn, reach out to us, a mutually beneficial relationship that will help increase Fulbright Austria's visibility.

Those once uncharted waters, while still deep and largely unexplored, opened up opportunities that Fulbright Austria fully intends to continue exploring. As we spend the next 12 months celebrating 75 years full of bright minds from Austria and the US, we will continue moving into the future, finding new ways to connect, to collaborate, to create opportunities for the next generations of students, scholars, and teaching assistants who, like Fulbright Austria, will continue connecting peoples, connecting nations, and connecting generations for decades to come.