Baylor Alumnus Describes Experience as Fulbright Scholar
By Ashley Solomon, marketing student
“The department as a whole had an outlook of service and preparing students for careers that would benefit society. This instilled a desire to be involved in my community,” said Pablo Gonzales, a 2018 alumnus of Baylor University’s Journalism, Public Relations, and New Media Department.
Gonzales shared how Baylor’s undergraduate program prepared him for the position he is in now: a Fulbright Scholar serving in Mexico City, Mexico.
Gonzales graduated with a major in journalism and a concentration in news editorial. After graduation, he joined Teach for America, where he taught at a public school in Dallas. Gonzales was a bilingual teacher for two years, helping his students integrate into the United States school system. He recognized the difficulties that came with migration and the difficult policies around it.
Through TFA and while working on his Master of Education degree, Gonzales was encouraged to apply to be a Fulbright Scholar. “Well, I’ve had this incredible understanding of integration, public policy, and healthcare. What about capstoning this with an experience that would allow me to see this from the other side?” Gonzales said.
In hopes of understanding immigration from another angle, Gonzales received The Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) and was placed to teach English at a graduate school in Mexico City.
Gonzales received this scholarship with the expectation that he would also contribute to the community around him. For two years, he has dedicated 15-20 hours a week to engage Mexico City. He does this through serving as a paralegal for an organization that provides free legal support for migrants.
“I’m not surprised to find out [Pablo] is a Fulbright scholar. He is an outstanding writer and researcher who enjoys examining tough topics. He is also an advocate for change who chose to work with underrepresented students during his stint with Teach America,” said Dr. Mia Moody-Ramirez, one of Gonzales’ professors during his time at Baylor.
Gonzales continued to question the scenarios around him after completing his undergraduate degree, constantly seeking to be inquisitive. He has found deeper understanding in legal topics and hopes to bring this into his future career.
Through this work and becoming involved in his community, Gonzales has seen how heavily Mexico and the United States rely on one another. He has also witnessed the difficulties that come with migration and hopes to return to the United States with a new perspective. His inquisitive nature and time at Baylor helped push him to ask questions and learn as much as he can.
“Whenever I go to a new place, I always read the newspaper and keep up with that place,” said Gonzales. He remembered that one of his professors at Baylor, Professor Robert Darden, encouraged his class to be excited about current events and instilled a desire in Gonzales to always read and learn more.
"I'm so thrilled that Pablo Gonzales is our latest Fulbright," Professor Darden said. "He's exactly the kind ambassador the program is known for: committed, passionate, talented, curious! I'll be following his career with the greatest of interest and pleasure."
His curious nature pushed Gonzales to achieve a Fulbright Scholarship. Dr. Daniel Benyousky, the Director of Major Fellowships and Awards at Baylor University, said the purpose of the Fulbright Program is to encourage cultural exchange and develop this understanding.
“The aim with the Fulbright is to develop a mutual understanding between the United States and one of the over 150 countries within Fulbright… the cultural exchange [aspect] is the beating heart of Fulbright,” Benyousky said.
Gonzales has seen the empathy that this program creates through its push for personal growth and mutual understanding.
After his time as a Fulbright Scholar, Gonzales plans to go to law school and use these new understandings and experiences to help immigrants in the United States. His undergraduate education at Baylor allowed him to deepen his desire to become involved in the community around him and to serve others while learning as much as he can to deepen his own empathy and knowledge.