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. Let me walk you through how I got here. 
My Fulbright journey began sometime during my Master's degree. Back then, when I decided to pursue a doctoral degree, I also started toying with the possibility of going to the U.S. for a research stay. I went back and forth with the idea—and it was precisely when the "off" part was taking over that my colleagues at the Department of Media Studies and Journalism, Masaryk University, gently nudged me toward applying for the Fulbright-Masaryk scholarship.
What followed were a few hectic weeks of writing up my project, finding a U.S. supervisor, and reassuring my family that they didn't need to stress about me going overseas just yet—because I was definitely not getting in, what they were even talking about. Yes, impostor syndrome in academia is real.
When I received the email confirming my project was supported, I was overjoyed to admit I was wrong.
In fact, I was wrong many times during my U.S. stay. I thought I'd beat jet lag by sleeping during my overnight layover in Chicago, but a storm blew off the hotel's roof that night, leaving me with three hours of sleep at best. I thought I'd travel a lot, but I ended up making State College my little home abroad, cherishing every moment before my five months were up. And I thought it would be complicated to connect with my academic role models—the ones I read and reference so often—but simply being at Penn State and taking advantage of opportunities to meet new people was enough to find a community of scholars I regularly met and genuinely enjoyed talking to.
My Fulbright project had a twofold goal: to explore public and community outreach opportunities within my field of research, and to work on a research paper that would become part of my dissertation. And while I'll admit I chose Pennsylvania State University a bit hastily while piling up my application documents, it turned out to be one of the best decisions I've ever made.
My scientific background is in researching conspiracy thinking, especially in the context of political attitudes and news consumption. So, as a media scholar, just walking through the halls of Penn State's College of Communications and seeing doorplates with names I'd only seen in books and research papers was already thrilling.
Eventually, I gained the courage to ask for introductions and knock on some of those doors. Before I could second-guess myself, I was sitting in a cozy office with classic American dark brown hardwood furniture, taking notes on my tablet while consulting my research with some of the best academics in my field.
I gradually got used to the waves of nervousness before each consultation. A big part of that was thanks to the daily encounters with my beloved squirrels—omnipresent on Penn State's beautiful campus, which felt more like a park with school buildings scattered throughout than a university headquarters. One of those squirrels is with me forever now, tattooed by a local artist on my left arm.
Day by day, week by week, I made progress on my manuscript about the role of conspiracy thinking in media consumption and voting for a populist presidential candidate. It was the main piece of research I worked on during my stay. Spoiler alert: it also brought me back to the U.S. just four months after returning home, when I presented it at the largest conference in my field, held in Denver, Colorado.
Meanwhile, I also pursued what initially drew me to Penn State: discovering how to communicate about media and media literacy with the public. Penn State's College of Communications runs an inspiring project called the News Literacy Initiative, which connects media scholars, university students, and schools around the topic of news and media. Having its director, Matthew Jordan, as my Fulbright supervisor helped me understand the role universities and researchers can play in reaching out to the general public—going beyond classrooms and research institutes, connecting with journalists, and working together step by step toward a better media landscape.
Now, you might be wondering: where's the "heroes" part promised at the beginning of this blog?
Well, as a wonderful side effect of my Fulbright stay, I not only met my heroes—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.
Being a Fulbright scholar taught me to accept challenges with gratitude, to learn from my mistakes, and, most importantly, to be less afraid to ask and take that first step.
So, as they say in online reviews: 10/10, would recommend!
