Dr. Michelle Aguilar-Ong, President of Mabalacat City College, is now officially a Fulbright grantee.
The Philippine-American Educational Foundation (PAEF), also known as the Fulbright Commission in the Philippines, hosted the pre-departure orientation on June 4 to 5 for the 29 scholars in various programs.
The program was founded by United States Senator J. William Fulbright in 1946 and is considered one of the most prestigious scholarships in the United States. In the country, PAEF is the oldest continuing Fulbright Commission in the world, administering the flagship foreign exchange scholarship program of the United States of America in the Philippines. It aims to increase binational research collaboration, cultural understanding, and the exchange of ideas between the two countries.
Every year, thousands of applications from hopeful scholars are received by the Fulbright Commission to pursue graduate studies, research, or participate in cultural exchange.
Dr. Ong will attend Florida State University (FSU) in the United States of America as a visiting scholar to pursue advanced research and conduct university lecturing in the coming fall semester.
Mayor Crisostomo C. Garbo expressed his congratulations to Dr. Ong and remarked, “Another feather in her cap, not to mention FSU anymore; Fulbright is a brand in itself. Known names such as CHED Chairperson Popoy De Vera, UNESCO Secretary General Ivan Henares, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa, among many others I will not mention but include our cabinet secretaries, high-profile medical scientists and lawyers, commissioners, CEOs, and university presidents, are Fulbrighters. I am happy for Mich to be part of this elite group of scholars. Mabalacat City College and Mabalacat City are grateful to have her.”
