Caroline Stanton ’27 awarded Fulbright UK Summer Institute fellowship

This summer, Caroline Stanton ’27 will study at the University of St Andrews in Scotland as part of the Fulbright UK Summer Institute. The Fulbright UK program is one of the most prestigious and selective summer programs currently operating worldwide. 

“I’m getting paid to take a class that I’m interested in. It’s something anyone would feel very fortunate to have happen to them,” said Stanton. “Gratitude is at the heart of all that. Gratitude for the money and for the experience and for the opportunity for my name to be associated with something like this.”

The Fulbright program covers participants’ major costs and provides them with distinctive support and cultural education, including comprehensive pre-departure guidance, enrichment opportunities in the UK, and access to the Fulbright alumni network. 

Stanton was drawn to the Scotland program in particular for both personal and academic reasons.

“I am Scottish, among other things, and I’m interested in [this program] because I don’t know a ton about the part of my DNA that’s Scottish,” Stanton said. “I am also a potential philosophy major and some of the greatest philosophical minds come out of the Scottish tradition, so having a good understanding of their historical background and perspective — even just their geographical perspective — will give me new insights and understanding. To understand a philosopher is to understand who they are on some level.”

The Fulbright UK Commission selects participants through a rigorous application and interview process, which Stanton found herself enjoying. 

“I really did enjoy writing it,” said Stanton, “because of how much you got to write about things you’re interested in, like a current cultural affairs issue in the U.S.”

Stanton credits her success to “the fact that I really did try to answer the questions like I was putting myself on a page.” What that looked like for her was answering the self-created question: “What makes your particular circumstances, interests, modes of communication, or experience in the world unique and interesting?”

Describing her writing process, Stanton shared what “putting herself on a page” looked like in practice. 

“I took the time to write what I would imagine was a pretty unique format for a personal statement,” she said. “Part of my personal statement was a bulleted list of true facts about myself that ranged from ‘I can’t stand the texture of mango,’ to my favorite show, to my hobbies, to my deepest and darkest passions. I did that because I think that’s genuinely how I come across in real life. That approach made my application memorable, if nothing else.”

This unorthodox approach was consistent throughout Stanton’s application. 

“I wrote something that could be akin to slam poetry, or, more appropriately, slam prose, for the cultural affairs essay,” Stanton said. “A lot of it was pretty poetic prose getting at the heart of book banning and why I think it’s so dangerous.”

An additional resource Stanton found integral to her success was Carleton’s Career Center, where she scheduled a mock interview. 

“That was really helpful and very informative,” Stanton said. “I have no doubt that the mock interview was the reason my interview for the fellowship was successful. Dedicating what’s going to be at most an hour to get as prepared as possible for an interview is worth it. They’re looking to see you, and if you can feel like you’re presenting the best version of you in the interview, you will succeed in that interview. I would definitely recommend it.”

Having secured her spot in the fellowship, Stanton envisions herself applying this opportunity to her future at Carleton in myriad ways, including in upcoming courses and creative projects. 

Stanton expressed excitement for both the simple experience of “finally, actually understanding what the color green is by being in Scotland” and the profound journey of deepening her understanding of new cultures. 

“The Fulbright institute is all about cultural exchange,” Stanton said. “That is a huge piece of education that I just haven’t had. I’ve had U.S. cultural exchanges — like moving from one state to another — but I haven’t had international cultural exchanges quite like that. I’m looking forward to pursuing that.”

“I also have a huge passion for both education and the arts, which are two things that greatly benefit from the subject’s breadth of experience,” added Stanton. “As an artist, the more you’ve experienced, the greater diversity of things you can make. Similarly, as an educator, the more experience you have, the more you have to educate on, the better kind of educator you will be.”

Stanton also looks forward to the special community that will form between students on the program.

“I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to see another country with people doing the same thing as me,” she said. “There will be a real sense of, ‘We’re in this together.’ I feel excited because of the community that I think will spring up from it. We’ll all be the same kind of grateful and nervous and excited.”