"My five-month experience as a Fulbright Visiting Scholar hosted by College of Education and Human Ecology has been very rewarding – both personally and professionally. I met excellent professors and faculty members as well as engaged with brilliant graduate students," shares Maria Teodora Ping, an educational researcher who joined the Ohio State community as a Fulbright Foreign Scholar in 2024 via Fulbright Indonesia to work on Literacy Instructions in Indonesia and the USA: Cross-National Current Practices and Conceptualization of Future Directions. "I have been provided with resources which supported me tremendously in accomplishing my literacy instruction model research project."
Department of Teaching and Learning Professor Emily Rodgers sponsored Ping's Fulbright experience and advised her during her time on campus.
A community of Indonesians welcomed Ping to Columbus and helped her navigate a new university. “Personally, I have enjoyed the warm friendships offered by my fellow Indonesian Buckeyes as well as the American and international Buckeye communities that I engaged with on campus," notes Ping. In fact, Ping and three other members of the Education and Human Ecology community, Emma Cahyani MS ’22 and current doctoral students Mega Wulandari and Laurentia Sumarni, all attended the same Catholic university in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, Sanata Dharma University (see photo).
Buckeye pride extends beyond the classroom and to the athletic fields. "I can also proudly say that I've become a fan of our Buckeye football team! I transformed from somebody who had a zero knowledge of American football to a fan who went to games in Ohio Stadium to cheer on the Buckeyes."
"Once a Buckeye, always a Buckeye," shares Ping as she heads back to Indonesia. "I definitely cherish this Fulbright experience and Terima kasih," which translates to thank you in her native Bahasa Indonesia.