This article highlights the Fulbright Finland Foundation’s Homecoming Event, which reunited alumni to celebrate major program milestones, including the global Fulbright Program’s 80th anniversary. Through personal stories, the gathering underscored the transformative and lifelong impact of educational exchanges. Ultimately, the event demonstrated how the Fulbright community continues to foster a deep sense of belonging long after the grant ends.
“Each year, numerous US alumni return to Finland from across the Atlantic, to what they often describe as their ‘second home’. To bring them together with alumni and grantees based in Finland, the Fulbright Finland Foundation, in collaboration with volunteers from the ASLA-Fulbright Alumni Association Board, organized a Homecoming Event in May. The gathering offered a chance to revisit shared experiences while building new connections across generations across Fulbrighters.
The event was particularly special as it coincided with several major milestones. This year is the eightieth anniversary of the global Fulbright Program. The community also celebrated fifty years of the Fulbright bicentennial chair in North American Studies – the oldest Fulbright distinguished chair worldwide. Fifteen bicentennial chairs from the US attended the event..
Frances Kartunen has participated in three Fulbright exchanges in Finland. Her first grant took her to Tammerfors (Tampere in Finnish) in 1972, she later returned to the University of Helsinki as a Fulbright scholar, including a year as the Fulbright Bicentennial Chair.
‘My life has been enriched beyond expression by these opportunities and experiences in Finland,’ Frances wrote in the guestbook.
Above all, the Homecoming reinforced a sense of belonging. Whether reconnecting with all friends or meeting fellow alumni for the first time, participants shared a common understanding of the transformative power of the Fulbright Finland experience. The event was a powerful reminder that the Fulbright Finland journey does not end with the grant, but continues to shape the lives and communities long after the exchange.”
Once a Fulbrighter,
always a Fulbrighter!
Frances is an SFHS member who participated in the 2025 Heritage Tour. If you are a member of SFHS you can read about Frances’ experiences on the Heritage Tour.
- To read more about Frances´ experiences go to the publications archive
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