Tongan national becomes first Pacific Fulbright scholar in over a decade
3-Jul-2009 08:46 AM

27-year-old Tongan national Siale Bain-Vete has been chosen as the Pacific’s first Fulbright scholar in more than a decade. He was chosen after a competitive process for the Fulbright Scholarship program announced by the U.S. Embassy in Suva in 2008.  Three more South Pacific Islanders will also receive Fulbright Scholarships for study this academic year.

A mainstay of America’s public-diplomacy efforts, the Fulbright Foreign Student Program brings citizens of other countries to the United States for Master’s degree or Ph.D.

study at US universities or other appropriate institutions. The program has brought some of the world’s finest minds to US campuses and offers program participants’ insight into
US society and values.

Bain-Vete will be undertaking a Masters in Public Administration at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University in New York. Maxwell is a top-ranked American graduate school for public policy.

“I am both thrilled and thankful for the opportunity to be a Pacific Fulbright scholar.

This is a great challenge and I am also excited about being in the US at this particular time in history with President Obama in the White House,” he said.

The US Embassy in Suva says the awarding of a very significant scholarship to a Pacific Islander is one of the highlights of US diplomacy efforts in the Pacific.

“We’re pleased that Siale Bain-Vete has been chosen for this scholarship and that he will be undertaking a program of study which will help build capacity for Tonga and the
Pacific Island region as a whole.  Mr. Bain-Vete is an outstanding candidate, and we hope that he will be the first of many more to come,” an Embassy spokesman said.

Many foreign Fulbright grantees are early-career professionals who will return to take leadership positions in their home countries, often working at universities or in government service.

“The degree at the Maxwell School will provide me with a solid grounding in economics, quantitative methods, leadership, policy analysis and strategic management. It will both expand my knowledge and equip me with useful organizational, planning, negotiation and consensus building skills. All of these things would seem to be crucial to effective policy making and development programming,” Bain-Vete added.

“For the last three years I have been fortunate to work for the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), a specialized agency of the UN and international financing institution. IFAD’s work programme is focused on developing innovative ways to help vulnerable groups living in isolated rural communities to overcome their hardship and poverty.”

“This experience has put me in touch with remote and marginalised communities in the Pacific. It is why I now have a special interest in pro-poor development policy, building local participatory processes, and facilitating advocacy by these communities.”

“Upon completion of the Fulbright, I intend to return to the Pacific to continue working in the area of social development. I am confident that I will be in a stronger position to make a more effective and meaningful contribution to development in Tonga, Fiji and the region. I would like to thank the US Embassy for giving me this wonderful opportunity.”

More than 1,800 new Foreign Fulbright Fellows enter US academic programs each year. In conjunction with Fulbright Commission/Foundation or U.S. Embassies abroad, the Institute of International Education (IIE) arranges academic placement for most Fulbright nominees and supervises participants during their stay in the United States.

The next round of applications for the Fulbright Foreign Student Program will be announced in April 2010.