Fulbright Scholarship for Tongan national [1]
Sunday, July 12, 2009 - 19:00. Updated on Wednesday, July 15, 2015 - 10:05.
A 27-year-old Tongan national Mr Siale Bain-Vete, has been chosen as the Pacific's first Fulbright scholar in more than a decade by the American Embassy, Suva, Fiji, on Wednesday, June 23.
Siale 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.
A Press Statement from the American Embassy stated that 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.
Siale 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.
"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," Siale said.
For the last three years Siale has worked for the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), a specialized agency of the UN and international financing institution, whose programs are focused on developing innovative ways to help vulnerable groups living in isolated rural communities to overcome poverty.
More than 1,800 new Foreign Fulbright Fellows enter U.S. 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.