The Fulbright year in the US truly changed my life. I met amazing people from all over the world, who I still call friends. I have a huge professional network I can rely on. And I had the chance to live and work in an other country for one year and expand my knowledge and understanding of the diverse culture of people, who we so often simply call "Americans". I travelled from the north to the south and from the east to the west and met so many different people from many different backgrounds. The Fulbright year really opened my mind to the world. I would never want to miss it.

Irene Zavarsky is a graduate of the University of Vienna with a degree in gender studies and was at the University of Illinois as an Austrian Teaching Assistant in 2009–10. Photo courtesy of Irene Zavarsky, Trainerei.