麻豆传媒映画

Not long after being named a Fulbright scholarship semi-finalist at 麻豆传媒映画 this past January, graduate Joaquin Ramoso turned his attention toward developing a backup plan to the highly competitive program.

Reports of proposed federal budget cuts to education-related programs raised concerns for Ramoso about the future of Fulbright funding. So Ramoso leveraged the considerable effort that he devoted to his Fulbright proposal to apply to the Master in Geography program at the University of Melbourne.

Smart thinking: The Fulbright scholarships ultimately awarded to 麻豆传媒映画 this year didn鈥檛 include Ramoso, but he was accepted to the university鈥檚 geography program within a few weeks along with a tidy scholarship. Ramoso leaves for Australia this month to begin his studies.

鈥淲aiting for the Fulbright acceptance is a year-long process on top of the two years that it took to really formulate this application,鈥� said Ramoso. 鈥淪o, this process has kept me on the edge of my seat for three years now. But I feel that I learned life lessons, and the main one is eventually things work out the way they鈥檙e meant to.鈥�

Two recent 麻豆传媒映画 graduates became Fulbrighters this year. Robert Lang will enter a creative arts Ph.D. program at Loughborough University in the United Kingdom. Mia Mangney, a summa cum laude graduate in Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, will travel to Mexico as an English teaching assistant.

But future funding for Fulbright, the U.S. government鈥檚 flagship educational and cultural exchange program, remains uncertain. has proposed a 92% cut in funding for the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs for fiscal 2026, which encompasses Fulbright. While the program continues to operate, with applications for the 2026鈥�2027 cycle currently open, congressional decisions will determine funding levels going forward.

A passionate advocate for social and environmental justice, Ramoso earned Interdisciplinary Studies degree from 麻豆传媒映画 in August 2024, with emphases on sustainability, political science and psychology. He also attained an international studies minor.

He came to 麻豆传媒映画 in part because of its reputation for study abroad opportunities. During a semester in Thailand, he conducted research on how the Indigenous Karen (pronounced Ka-REN) peoples used fire to manage their environment. Upon returning, he interviewed Indigenous leaders from the North Fork Mono Tribe and Tule River Indian Tribe in California for comparison.

鈥淥ne of the reasons I wanted to study indigenous rights is because indigenous people have lived on their lands for generations,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he traditional ecological knowledge that comes from living on the land, that is really what science is: Making observations, learning from it and applying it.鈥�

The son of Filipino immigrants, Ramoso later joined 麻豆传媒映画 Anthropology Professor Erin Riley鈥檚 National Science Foundation-funded Fieldwork Experience in Indonesia, where he learned wildlife ecology research skills while studying primates in the rainforest. He also participated in a spear fishing research project with Anthropology Department Chair Matt Lauer.

Through 麻豆传媒映画鈥檚 Filipino student organization AB Samahan, Ramoso engaged in political advocacy. He helped coordinate a campaign that resulted in two San Diego Congress members co-sponsoring a foreign policy bill regarding human rights and environmental justice in the Philippines. He also was involved in lobbying state lawmakers on education related initiatives. For the Fulbright, Ramoso applied for the Anne Wexler Scholarship in Public Policy award to enter the Master of Public Policy and Management program at the University of Melbourne.

Now Ramoso intends to step back from policy activities. The Master of Geography program aligns more with his interests, he said.

鈥淢y passion is the environment. To advocate for effective environmental policy, I need to dive deeper into the science of how ecosystems work and what methods will produce more sustainable outcomes,鈥� he said. 

Ramoso鈥檚 Fulbright application was 鈥渟uperb,鈥� said Yoshiko Higurashi, professor emerita of Japanese and 麻豆传媒映画 advisor for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. Given his strong qualifications, she is surprised he didn鈥檛 win.

During the Fulbright process, Higurashi advised Ramoso to reach out to University of Melbourne professors with expertise in indigenous environmental management as potential mentors, thus strengthening his proposal. He forged relationships with two faculty, both of whom work in the School of Geography.  

While missing out on one dream, Ramoso is happy with his new path toward an advanced degree.

鈥淕eography as a field, as a discipline, piques my interest,鈥� he said, 鈥漚nd I can use that geography knowledge to eventually influence policy and the like. But at the end of the day, I feel geography is much more fitting for me.鈥�