Fulbright Reality Czech

Julia Prager-Hessel  is the Deputy Communications Director for a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, serving in the U.S. Congress. Three years ago, she served as an English Teaching Assistant at Gymnázium Chotěboř. In November 2022, she hosted an unforgettable Thanksgiving for her Czech students, colleagues, and fellow grantees who had no plans for the holiday. What seemed a Herculean task at first turned into “cultural exchange in its purest form: joyful, messy, loud, communal, and, true to Thanksgiving culture and Czech cuisine alike, punctuated by a ton of heavy food,” complete with traditions and Cotton-Eye Joe dancing. Because of this and many other experiences, the town of fewer than 10,000 grew close to Julia’s heart. She returns whenever possible: “Chotěboř grounds me, and reminds me why I do the work I do, why community matters, why listening matters, why showing up matters.”  Three Thanksgivings ago, I stood at the back of the attic event hall in Panský Dům,...

Libby Hladik is an occupational therapist.  Her work blends clinical expertise with creativity and collaboration. With a background as a theatre director and producer, she brings a unique perspective to her research on well-being and community participation for people with developmental disabilities and their families. In the 2024/2025 academic year, Libby spent a year in the Czech Republic as a Fulbright Scholar, partnering with the Institute for Research in Inclusive Education at Masaryk University in Brno. She worked alongside Czech families to adapt an Accessibility Toolkit for Cultural Institutions, helping to make community spaces more inclusive. Joined by her Czech-born husband and their daughter, Libby reflects, “My Fulbright experience was truly special in how it connected such important parts of my personal and professional life.”  My Fulbright experience was a dream come true. It sounds a little funny and a bit verbose, but it was a combination of personal and profe...

Tomáš Hoření Samec je sociolog. Působí na Sociologickém ústavu Akademie věd ČR a na Fakultách architektury ČVUT a VUT. Zaměřuje se na výzkum bydlení ve vztahu ke společenským normám, diskurzu a politikám. Zájem o participativní formy bydlení ho inspiroval k podání přihlášky do Fulbright-Masarykova programu. V prosinci roku 2024 odjel s manželkou a dcerou na University of Arizona, kde v půlmilionovém městě Tucson pět měsíců zkoumal možnosti a limity spolupráce mezi veřejným a občanským sektorem při rozvoji různých forem participativního bydlení jako jsou Community Land Trust, cohousing nebo cooperatives. Přestože výzkumný projekt se v USA vyvíjel jinak než očekával, zpět v České republice mu teď chybí více času na čtení a psaní, pouštní západy slunce a propojené cyklostezky.  Stalo se Vám někdy, že jste zmeškali let? Mně ano, dvakrát, pokaždé ve Spojených státech. Přesouvat na několik měsíců svůj profesní, rodinný i osobní život není nic jednoduchého, obzvláště, když na přestup na l...

Carol Wilusz is a Professor of Microbiology, Immunology & Pathology and Director of the Cell & Molecular Biology Graduate Program at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado. In the spring of 2025, she was hosted by the Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences. As a Fulbright Scholar, Carol conducted research on the regulation of gene expression in stem cells by RNA-binding proteins. Outside the lab, she found time for a series of unexpected adventures: paddling a dragon boat on the Vltava River in Prague, riding a paternoster lift in Zlín, and taking the Baltic Express from Prague to Gdańsk.  I struggled to decide where to spend my sabbatical and settled on Prague on a whim – it’s in the center of Europe, and at the time I was applying, I had just visited my son there while he was studying the criminal justice system for a summer. I was also attracted by the impressive range of research going on at IMG, the idea of experiencing a complet...

Seiler Rivers is a 2024/2025 Fulbright English Teaching Assistant alumna. With a BS in Computer Science, a minor in Music, and a passion for both choral music and supporting young women in technology, Seiler was placed at the Gymnázium and Business Academy in Mariánské Lázně, the youngest town in the famous spa triangle of Western Bohemia. Inspired by the experiences of previous Teaching Assistants, Seiler hoped to join a local choir or orchestra (as a piano player) to integrate into her new community while continuing to do what she loves. She succeeded. Music, often called a universal language, helped her navigate challenges and connect with others in ways that went well beyond choir rehearsals and performances. Today, Seiler reflects on the question: "Why do we sing? Is it to be heard? No, surely not. It's to participate in something larger than ourselves–to both contribute and to listen." Before embarking on my journey as a Fulbright ETA, I had studied classical pian...

Katie Googe is an expert on American literature. During the 2024/2025 academic year, she spent eight months at the Department of English and American Studies at Masaryk University in Brno, where she explored the connections between Czech science fiction in the aftermath of the First World War and depictions of time and colonialism in early American speculative fiction. Coming from the University of Southern California, Katie was excited to experience Czech culture firsthand. While she enjoyed immersing herself in local traditions, she was also struck by how international her academic environment turned out to be. In her Brno classroom, students and colleagues from nearly every continent sparked conversations that enriched her understanding of literature and culture far beyond the lecture hall. Reflecting on her Fulbright experience, Katie shares: "Over the next two semesters, I learned more from my students than I could have even imagined." On my final night in Brno before I...

Lucie Čejková is a PhD student at the Faculty of Social Studies at Masaryk University in Brno. She focuses on news audiences and related topics. In September 2024, she began a five-month Fulbright-Masaryk scholarship program at the Department of Film Production and Media Studies at Pennsylvania State University. Her goal was to explore how leading scholars in the media field bridge the gap between academia and the public, particularly in the areas of media literacy and conspiracy thinking. Reflecting on what the experience gave her, Lucie shares that when meeting the "big names" during her Fulbright stay: "I learned I didn't need to be so starstruck or afraid. The people I met were kind and humane, willing to mentor me at this early stage of my academic career. Without being too pathetic, I think it's fair to say I learned lessons I'll carry with me forever." Never meet your heroes, they say. Well, after my Fulbright stay, I seriously doubt that saying. ...

Emma Blenke is an alumna of the Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) Program. She spent the past school year teaching at the Business Academy in Karlovy Vary, one of the Czech Republic's most renowned spa towns. Like many Fulbright ETAs, Emma made the leap across the Atlantic right after earning her BA, navigating not just a physical journey, but a profound cultural and personal transformation. Although she was the only ETA in Karlovy Vary, Emma quickly found a supportive community in her Czech colleagues, especially her mentor, Kate, who made her feel welcome from day one. Reflecting on her time there, Emma shared: “What I thought would be a solo journey of learning how to live on my own turned out to be a shared one. I grew because of the people around me, students, teachers, mentors, who reminded me that independence doesn’t mean isolation.”  Some people ease into adulthood. I crash-landed into it—with a frying pan in one hand and Google Translate in the other. In college,...