UC Hosts Record Number of Fulbright Students

by Michelle Ralston and Natalie Ochmann

That’s exactly what College of Law student Stephen Mudibo hopes to do.  Mudibo began practicing law in his home country of Kenya in 2015. He says as Kenya adapts to new technologies, cybercrime is becoming increasingly problematic.

“I want to understand how the United States has managed to create better laws and policies that address these issues,” says Mudibo. “I can replicate them to the benefit of my country and enhance development of similar laws.

Mudibo is one of four Fulbright students attending UC’s College of Law – a first for the college. The growth can be attributed to the college’s strategy.

“It is a tremendous value to our college community and our master’s students to bring diverse perspectives and the highest caliber minds from all over the world to the  College of Law," says Nora Burke Wagner, assistant dean for international student programs.

Last month, the UC College of Law’s International Law Club hosted a roundtable discussion on the legacy of the Soviet Union to discuss the modern implications of law and politics in post-Soviet states. The conversations were led by law school Fulbrighters from Russia, Kyrgystan and Afghanistan.

Zizi Elsisi graduated from the Cairo University School of Pharmacy in her home country of Egypt. As a practicing pharmacist, which is still a developing field in Egypt, she was selected to receive a grant from the British Council to attend a 5 day workshop that focuses on the top issues within the field of pharmacy. The conference sparked her interest in learning how health policies can impact the health of populations.

Following acceptance into the Fulbright program, she began searching for countries and universities that offered her intended field of study – Pharmaeconomics.

“I was searching for universities that were involved in the research I am interested in. Cincinnati was one of them. I looked at courses, professors, their research and experience, and articles they published.”  

Elsisi is on schedule to graduate from UC in May and hopes to pursue a PhD.  She says her experience at UC as a Fulbrighter has been extremely positive and she often shares her thoughts with other potential Fulbrighters who are looking to study in the U.S.

 “I was skeptical about Cincinnati at first because I am a big city girl. But everyone is very welcoming here…very smiley,” says Elsisi. “Professors are willing to help you no matter what…if they see you are a hard worker they will help you publish research…go to conferences…they will take the time to help you.”

Mudibo, like Zizi, says his experience here has been positive too.  

“Sitting in class we all come from different places, and we share what happens in our countries and the lecturer place us on middle ground. We talk about what works in American law and what doesn’t, but the best learning comes from the diversity of thinking, people and culture.”

Galina Seregina of Russia, one of the other Fulbright Scholars pursuing an LLM in UC’s College of Law, agrees that the people she interacts with make her experience at UC one of a kind: “Classes, lectures, they’re important and interesting, but we’ve got an education combined with law panels, international law club, journals, conferences. This communication and network for me is sometimes even more important.”

Back in Russia, Seregina received a bachelor’s in Public International Law and a Master's Degree in Private International Law at Kutafin Moscow State Law University. Although fond of her alma mater, she describes the pro-state, pro-government university as conservative with a highly competitive atmosphere. The free-flowing discussion amongst colleagues at UC has been both surprising and inspiring.

Seregina heard about Fulbright while she was working as an international taxation lawyer and participating in the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition. Her coach was a former Fulbrighter from the United Kingdom and encouraged her to apply.

After she completes the LLM program, Seregina wants to go back to clients and coursework. She plans to enroll in a PhD program at Kutafin while still taking on complex cases in international taxation. For her, taking on challenges—from drawing structures of ownership between legal entities to changing academic culture in Russia—is just another day in the office. 

Zamira Saidi, another Fulbright scholar in the LLM program, uses her knowledge as a lawyer to empower women in her home country of Afghanistan.

Her resume is impressive, to say the least. After graduating from the Law and Political Science faculty of Kabul University in 2015, Saidi worked as a lawyer and established the Afghan Women Educational and Empowerment Services Organization (AWEESO), an NGO focused on connecting Afghan women to education and career opportunities, with a focus on their legal rights.

In addition to her work, she participated in, coached and judged international moot court competitions. Saidi then won a prestigious Chevening scholarship to pursue an LLM in International Intellectual Property Laws in the United Kingdom.

“I believe, when we talk about women's equality to men in term of job security and social participation, [it's about women] having an equal seat in all of the governmental offices and private sectors,” says Saidi. "In order to do that, all of us should contribute to awakening and helping as many women as we can."