FROM NEVER BEING PICKED IN PE TO BECOMING A FULBRIGHT SCHOLAR IN KINESIOLOGY

My name is Juanjo Palos, a workplace wellbeing coach and university professor from Madrid, Spain.

If you had told my younger self that one day I would become a Fulbright Scholar in Kinesiology in the United States, I probably would not have believed you.

Growing up, I was the kid who was rarely picked in PE. I did not enjoy exercise; I was an average student, and I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life.

Things started to change when I adopted a more active and healthy lifestyle. Exercise helped me build confidence, become more disciplined, and redefine what I thought I was capable of. Eventually, I discovered my passion: understanding how physical activity and healthy habits can empower people to live healthier, happier, and more purposeful lives.

That passion led me to study Sport Sciences in Spain, publish a book about physical activity monitoring called “El Humano Cuantificable”, and eventually apply for a Fulbright Scholarship.

During COVID, I also felt a strong need to explore the world and step outside my comfort zone. Having grown up in a big city like Madrid, Minnesota sounded like an incredible adventure: nature, lakes, cold winters, and a very different American experience. Academically, the University of Minnesota's School of Kinesiology was also a perfect fit for my interests in physical activity, health, and technology.

So I took the chance.

It became one of the best decisions of my life.

My Fulbright Scholarship

I received a Fulbright Scholarship for Graduate Studies in the United States, with only 12 scholarships available across Spain that year.

The scholarship and associated support represented more than $200,000 in educational and professional opportunities. It supported my two-year Master's degree at the University of Minnesota, flights between Spain and the US, ASPE health coverage, Fulbright events such as a Public Health program in Boston, activities at the U.S. Embassy in Madrid, and continuous guidance from several Fulbright advisors.

The financial support allowed me to live comfortably as a student. I lived at University Commons, sharing a four-bedroom apartment with access to a gym, heated pool, and parking garage. I spent around $200 per month on groceries, which left me enough to enjoy life in Minnesota, put gas in my old Ford Taurus, travel with friends... and buy a lot of winter clothes!

That is something future applicants should know: Fulbright is much more than financial support. It gives you an entire ecosystem in which to grow academically, professionally, and personally.

Academic and Professional Experience

I completed my Master's degree at the University of Minnesota School of Kinesiology with a 3.95 GPA.

During those two years, I also conducted research at the Physical Activity Epidemiology Lab (PAEL) alongside Dr. Zan Gao, exploring how technologies such as active video games, sensors, and wearables could be used to promote physical activity and health.

I also received funding to attend the American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting, including meetings in Denver and Boston, where I had the opportunity to present my Master's research on workplace wellness interventions and their positive effects on employee performance and satisfaction.

One of my favorite things about the University of Minnesota was its academic culture. Classes were incredibly participative, and I was surrounded by curious and ambitious students who wanted to learn, ask questions, and share knowledge.

And university life extended far beyond the classroom. Sport was everywhere. We came together to support the Minnesota Golden Gophers, and our mascot, Goldy the Gopher, was impossible not to love. That combination of academic ambition, school spirit, and community made campus life incredibly special.

After completing my Master's degree, I stayed in Minnesota for another year to gain professional experience. I worked with the Metropolitan Council of the Twin Cities on workplace well-being through its Fit for Life team, and as a health consultant at Livea Weight Control Centers, helping people with overweight and obesity improve their lifestyles and work toward healthier weight goals.

There was something very meaningful about that experience. Years earlier, changing my own lifestyle had transformed my confidence and direction in life. Now, I was helping other people use healthier behaviors to create positive changes in theirs.

How I Prepared for Fulbright

Getting the scholarship was highly competitive. There were only 12 places across Spain, so I knew I needed to prepare seriously.

I spent months preparing for the TOEFL by immersing myself in English. I studied and read in English, watched series in English, changed my phone settings to English, and even convinced some of my friends to speak English with me instead of Spanish.

I wanted English to become part of my everyday life, not just something I studied for an exam.

I was also told during the Fulbright process that applications from professionals in Sport and Exercise Sciences were relatively uncommon. That made my path somewhat unusual compared with more traditionally represented academic fields.

By the time I reached the final interview, however, I was not thinking about whether other candidates had better grades or wanted to attend universities like Harvard or MIT…

I believed in my story.

I knew why I wanted the opportunity, how much it meant to me, and what I wanted to do with it. I went into the interview with confidence and genuine enthusiasm, and I tried to communicate exactly that.

I was not trying to convince them that I was the smartest candidate. I wanted to show them that, if they gave me this opportunity, I would make the most of it.

And Fulbright gave me that chance.

Three Years I Will Never Forget

My American experience ultimately lasted three years, and some of my best memories happened far away from the classroom.

I was welcomed by several American families, made hundreds of friends from all over the world, and travelled across around 30 US states.

I loved taking my Ford Taurus on road trips with friends, visiting places like Wisconsin Dells, going to the Minnesota State Fair, exploring new cities, and spending weekends discovering places I had previously only seen in movies.

And then there was the Minnesota winter.

I had always said I liked the cold. Then I experienced temperatures around -30°C — the kind of cold where even your eyelashes start to freeze.

One of the first things my American friends told me was to go to Walmart or Target and buy proper winter boots, strong gloves, and a long coat that covered me almost down to my knees.

They were right. Some days, even four or five layers of clothing barely felt like enough!

To put Minnesota winters into perspective, during my two academic years at the university, classes were cancelled because of severe winter weather on only three days. You can imagine what the weather was like on those three days!

But even those winters became part of the adventure I had been looking for when I left Spain.

What Happened After Fulbright?

Fulbright continues to influence my life today.

I returned to Spain and eventually moved to Barcelona, where I now work as a workplace wellbeing coach at Just Wellness for Happy Healthy Companies, helping organizations and their employees improve their health and wellbeing. I have also continued working in university teaching and research.

In many ways, my career today connects directly with what I first discovered through my own transformation: wellbeing can be a powerful tool to help people become healthier, more confident, and more capable of building the lives they want.

But I brought something else back from America.

While living in Minnesota, I met my girlfriend, Livia. After I returned to Spain, she received a scholarship to work as an English teacher here, and we eventually moved together to Barcelona.

I am also now part of the Fulbright Alumni community in Barcelona, where I have met other former scholars, shared experiences, made plans together, and even talked about something many of us discover when we come home: reverse culture shock.

Fulbright, in that sense, did not really end when I returned to Spain.

And as for Livia, I sometimes joke that I brought the best souvenir from the United States back home with me.

What Made My Application Stand Out?

I do not think my story was about being the smartest candidate.

I had worked hard, built a strong academic profile, published a book, and had a clear field of interest. But I believe what really helped me was having a coherent story and genuinely believing in it.

I knew where I had come from, how much I had changed, and where I wanted to go next.

A scholarship application should not simply be a list of achievements. It should connect your past, your present, and the future you are trying to build.

And when you get the opportunity to tell that story, you have to believe in it yourself before you can expect anyone else to believe in you.

My Advice to Future Applicants

My first piece of advice is simple:

Apply.

Do not reject yourself before the selection committee has even had the opportunity to consider you.

I was once the kid who was rarely picked in PE. I was an average student who did not know what he wanted to do with his life.

Then I found something I cared about. I changed my habits. I worked hard. I learned to believe in myself. And I was fortunate to have family and friends who always supported me and believed in me too.

So prepare seriously. Improve your English. Research your universities. Talk to former scholars. Work hard on your application and prepare for the interview.

But do not spend the entire process comparing yourself with other candidates.

There will always be someone with better grades, more publications, or a more impressive academic background. You cannot control who else applies. But you can control how prepared, confident, and authentic you are when your opportunity comes.

You do not need to be the most impressive person in the room. You need to understand your story, believe in it, and communicate why this opportunity matters to you.

Fulbright gave me much more than a Master's degree.

I graduated with a 3.95 GPA. I became a researcher. I presented my work at international scientific conferences. I worked in health and workplace wellbeing. I travelled across around 30 states. I survived Minnesota winters. I made friends from all over the world. And somewhere along the way, I met the woman who would eventually move back to Spain with me.

I left Spain because I wanted to discover the world and find out how far outside my comfort zone I could go.

In the process, I discovered how far I could go myself.