Why visit Newport, RI? Fulbright scholars explain their desire to study at Salve Regina

NEWPORT — Two women, one from France and the other from Argentina, are both teaching and studying this year at Salve Regina University under the Fulbright program. 

Led by the United States government in partnership with more than 160 countries worldwide, the Fulbright program, according to its website, "offers international educational and cultural exchange programs for passionate and accomplished students, scholars, artists, teachers and professionals of all backgrounds to study, teach or pursue important research and professional projects."

The two women arrived during Tropical Storm Henri, with wind whipping through campus and downed tree branches. Their first night at the school was adventurous, but when the sun pierced through their windows the next day and they stepped out onto the grounds of their new home, Newport took their breath away. 

First impressions of Newport, RI 

Laury Vandenterghem, 23, flew into Boston from France to discover her suitcase hadn't arrived with her. She took a bus to Providence, where she and the other Fulbright scholar, Ana Paula Silva Uliarte, were picked up by their supervisor. 

"When we were in her car and she took us to our house at the university, it was pouring," Vandenterghem said. "Raining really, really hard, trees were falling down, electricity was missing in some parts of the state, so it was really not a good day for me ... it was a bit rough in the beginning."

The storm caused flight delays for Uliarte, who is from the desert of San Juan, Argentina. Uliarte said she wasn't sure if she'd make it on time, but she did. When she saw Newport the next day, it made the difficulty of her trip well worth it. 

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"The rain had stopped and I could see that green, and everything around the house was the greenest green I had ever seen and the mansions that were near the house. It was so incredible," Uliarte. "So we arrived at a complicated moment, but then after the storm, it was like magic. It was perfect. It was beautiful."

Two days after she arrived, Vandenterghem received her suitcase. "I have to admit that the beginning was very rough, but I have been here for nearly a month now and can say that I really appreciate it here," she said. 

Since their arrival in Newport, the two students have had a lot of fun getting to know their campus and the surrounding areas. 

Tracing President John F. Kennedy's connection to Newport, RI 

Once selected for the Fulbright program, scholars are given a list of five schools to choose from by rank. Vandenterghem said her first choice was Salve Regina University, because of the location, and because she is fascinated with John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States who has ties to both Massachusetts and Newport. 

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When she was in middle school, Vandenterghem said she became interested in working in Hollywood and wanted to do an exchange program then, but it was too expensive and she didn't know how to speak or understand English.  

"I decided to focus on English, so when I went to high school, I did a diploma with an emphasis on English and liberal arts," she said. "I had given up the fact that I wanted to work in cinema, and now I wanted to work in a field that would allow me to speak English."

When Vandenterghem went to college, she studied foreign languages with an emphasis on English for her bachelor's degree. She had an internship for three years teaching English to high school students and realized teaching wasn't her thing, so she ended up getting a master's degree in American cultural studies. 

"I feel like I didn't want to be a teacher in high school, but I wanted to do something in education, maybe in a different environment, so I thought about museum education, and so that's what I still want to do," she said. 

She graduated in May after completing her master's thesis, centered around Kennedy in cinema, and applied to the Fulbright program. Vandenterghem chose Newport because of the opportunity it would give her to explore some of the sites that are tied to Kennedy, and she's already been to several. 

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"I have already been to St. Mary's Church. I took a picture of the picture of John F. Kennedy in front of the church, so that's something that I really wanted to do, and I'm planning to go and try and see Hammersmith Farm," Vandenterghem said. "I know it's privately owned, but that it was Jackie Kennedy's home when she was a child ... I'm also planning to go to Hyannis Port and Cape Cod, because I know that's one of the places the Kennedys lived when they weren't in Washington D.C.

"And, most importantly, I'm going to Boston to go to the library and the museum, which I admit is my dream job. I would love to work there in the future," she said. "I don't know what the future holds for me, but that would be my dream job." 

She also planning a trip to Virginia to visit JFK's grave site at Arlington National Cemetery over the Thanksgiving holiday. 

One of the aspects of the program Vandenterghem likes most is being a cultural ambassador for France while she is here in the U.S., and then when she goes back to France, being a cultural ambassador for the U.S. 

"This is something I really get along with. This is something that pleased me and this is something that I envisioned for me,' she said. 

From the desert to the city-by-the-sea 

In Argentina, Uliarte is an English teacher. When she was in college, she met a Fulbright student at university, and from then on, she knew she wanted to take part of the program. 

This year she was accepted, with Salve being her first choice. She chose the Newport school for two reasons — because of it's location and the language programs the school offers. Also, because the city is beautiful. 

"When I was deciding, I looked at pictures of Newport and it was beautiful," Uliarte said. "The combination of the ocean, the mansions, the vegetation, everything was perfect. I couldn't believe a place like this existed, so that's one of the reasons I chose that as my first options in the ranking. And fortunately, they also chose me, so that's why I came to Newport."

One of the things Uliarte has experienced since coming to Newport is how kind and supportive everyone has been to her. She said she's felt comfortable since arriving. 

"They always try to find ways to solve things or situations that maybe are complicated. I love it," she said. "The attitude people have here, they try help, they try to find solutions instead of focusing on the problems."

While at the school, Uliarte is taking a course on the American Civil War. 

"I'm getting to know more things about American culture," she said. "In the past, I knew about the Civil War because I have read about it when I was studying at university, but I couldn't study the topic in-depth."

She's also happy to be here to learn more about the mansions and other aspects of American culture. 

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"The personal, social, professional experience here, and also cultural ... are going to give me a lot of material to think about and to compare cultures," Uliarte said. "I applied for the Fulbright program because I wanted to live this experience. Because I am a teacher, I wanted experience the educational system from within and to get the most of it and to use what I learn in my own classroom."

One thing Uliarte hopes she'll learn from her time as a Fulbright scholar is what areas she needs to improve on in her own practice and bring her improvements back to her classroom in Argentina. 

Teaching is something Uliarte is passionate about because she said one of the best things someone can do for another person is to teach them things.

"Showing what you know with the people who don't know about it is something great we can do, and I like the idea of sharing knowledge, so that's my small contribution to this world to share the things I know," she said. "I also think being a teacher is a big responsibility, being in front of a class ...

"Being a teacher and being in a position in which you can influence other people (and) motivate students is a big responsibility, and I want to do that the best way possible. I think this experience will help me grow my teaching practice, and I hope I'm able to be a better teacher in the future, a better colleague, a better person after."

For Uliarte, being in Newport is like discovering a whole new world. 

Bethany Brunelle can be reached at bbrunelle@newportri.com  907-575-8528 or @bethanyfreuden1 on Twitter, Insta: bethanyfreudenthal, TikTok: thehijabicrimereporter, Muckrack: https://muckrack.com/bethany-freudenthal