How a Thai Scholar Won a Fully Funded Fulbright to Pursue Women’s and Gender Studies at Arizona State University

My name is Sirada Kananurak, and I am a Fulbright scholar from Thailand. I am currently pursuing my master’s degree in Women’s and Gender Studies at Arizona State University. My research interest lies in Queer Studies in the context of Thailand, specifically focusing on the intergenerational sapphic community cultivation and the (in)visibility and emergence of Thai queer women in activism and media.

Fulbright Scholarship Details

I received the 2024 Fulbright Thai Graduate Scholarship Program, which is part of the Fulbright Foreign Student Program. In the case of Thailand, Fulbright is a bipartisan program in which both the Thai and U.S. governments financially support the scholarship recipients. In combination with the ASU’s tuition waiver that I received, the scholarship covers my tuition for the two academic years and the majority of living expenses. Prior to becoming a Fulbright scholar, I was also offered the GREAT Scholarship, a program by the UK and the British Council; though in the end, I had to make a difficult decision and decided on pursuing my studies in the United States.

Educational Background

Prior to my studies in the United States, I earned my bachelor’s degree in Language and Culture from Chulalongkorn University in 2023 with a first-class honor (GPA: 3.91) and worked as a part-time educator for English and basic cultural studies knowledge for high school students. The knowledge I gained from my cultural studies bachelor’s degree paved the way towards my aspiration to be a Thai scholar who writes about Thai queer culture. Beyond the classroom, I was also one of the youth representatives in conferences regarding the issue of gender justice. I believe it is these real-world experiences and everyday commitments that matter beyond your grades.

How Did You Prepare to Apply to Arizona State University?

I created a list of best-suited programs in terms of the specializations of faculty members, the degree requirements, and the overall environment within the schools and the states. Because Women’s and Gender Studies is not really widely available in every university, it was a longer process of researching for institutions that offer the program. In the end, I sent my list to Fulbright and the Institute of International Education (IIE), who then managed four university applications for me with the personal statement, the study objective, and a writing sample I had already submitted for the Fulbright application.

Regarding the standardized English test scores, I took IELTS for my Fulbright application and got the band score of 8.5. I later had to take the TOEFL for my university applications and received a score of 111. Studying for standardized tests is different for everyone, but my advice would be to be consistent with your practice and include studying in your daily routine: you don’t overwork yourself as much when you do the practice for at least one to two hours a day, but every day.

How Did You Prepare to Apply to the Fulbright Scholarship?

Applying for the Fulbright Scholarship can feel like a long but self-discovery process because it requires a lot of revisiting with your inner self: who you are, what you stand for, how you envision your and your country’s futurity, and how you are willing to contribute to that futurity. The main components of the application include the personal statement, the study objective, and the letter of recommendations. Do not feel discouraged if you find yourself going back and forth between lines or taking longer to finish the required essays. Preparing for these essays is a non-linear process; for example, one day, you might write a sentence that seems so great, and the next day, you might not like it anymore and delete the whole chunk of words. This is completely fine and is a part of creating great personal statements that truly reflect who you are and your core values.

Passing the interview round is already a wonderful achievement. What I did in preparation for the interview was to list down the possible questions and practice answering them. Filming or recording yourself answering the questions helps too, as you can come back to the recordings and see what is missing from the answers and what can be improved. It is important to note that this is not to memorize answers in the interview room, but rather to become the most comfortable in yourself and your answers as you can while remaining your authenticity.

What Do You Think Made Your Application Stand Out?

I believe it was because of my commitment to contribute to the field of Women’s and Gender Studies in Thailand, which requires more work and more people with a passion for the rights and well-being of women and the Thai LGBTQIA+ community. This commitment is a lifelong and ongoing one, and I think it is well-translated onto my application.

What Would You Have Done Differently if You Were Going Through the Process Again?

With the period of the application being the same as I was conducting my final thesis for my bachelor’s degree, making me extremely occupied, I truly believe I did my best considering the conditions. But if I were to change one thing, it would be to start my application even earlier to be able to better focus on the required essays.

What Advice Would You Give Those Looking to Apply for a Similar Scholarship?

See yourself as a beautifully-woven individual: every thread of experiences that you have gone through is actively being woven to create who you are and who you will become. Your past, present, and future are intertwined and leading you to where you exactly have to be, and it is important that you showcase this in your application and interview.

Be in conversation with yourself and the community you represent: as a Fulbright scholar, you are no longer working towards your own achievements, but you are now a representative of your country, and it is significant to use this opportunity to work towards the greater good and the betterment of society.

Don’t be afraid of the non-linearity in your application processes.