Snapshot of the Month: Lynne Ogren – Colombia (1988) & Mexico (1999-2000)

Q: Tell us about your Fulbright experience. Where did you go? When? What did you do?

Fulbright Teacher Exchange 1988-89 to Cartagena, Colombia; 1999-2000 Orizaba, Mexico; Summer 1998 Fulbright Hays Summer Seminar to Mexico . I taught English on both teacher exchanges and an English teacher taught Spanish in my place in Albany, NY.

Q: How has your Fulbright experience shaped your life and career? What skills, perspectives, or opportunities came from your exchange that still influence you today personally or professionally?

Living and teaching abroad taught me many life lessons. I learned resilience and perseverance. The people in both countries taught me lessons in relaxing and being open to what the current moment presents. I teach mindfulness now and that is the essence of what I teach. I learned what it was like to live as a minority in another culture which has helped me to understand the challenges that marginalized populations go through on a daily basis, increasing my sense of compassion. The joy of living in another culture, another language and being immersed in novel experiences remains with me to this day.

Q: What does being part of the Fulbright alumni network mean to you? 

I have been president of the Eastern NY chapter as well as currently serving as president of the S. Florida chapter. In Albany, NY, I established deep friendships with Fulbright students there who are now like my children. I am especially close to the Fulbrighters from Mali, as well as others from Ukraine and Cameroon. Two of the students have named their children after me. Another said he wanted to name his child after me, but he kept having boys! LOL. I regularly visit Fulbrighter, Patricia Carvajal Arrieta, in Cartagena, Colombia. We professionally collaborate to this day as she is headmistress at Gimnasio Altair de Cartagena. Both the city and my Colombian sister hold very special places in my heart.

Q: Is there someone you would like to recognize who made your Fulbright experience especially meaningful or relevant? This could be a mentor, colleague, host, or community member who left a lasting impression.

Overall, I would have to say the Fulbrighters from Mali stand out the most to me: Mahamadou Bagayoko and Aissata Ba. I have been to Bamako to visit them and meet their families and other Fulbright professors there who mentored them through Fulbright. Fulbright has had a profound effect on Mali’s education, social and public policy. Mahamadou, Aissata and Oumar all represent this influence. After the loss of my biological family, Mahamadou and Aissata stepped in to support me as my own. We remain close to this day, and in a gesture that means the world to me, Aissata named her daughter Lynne. This spirit of connection extends to my Fulbright colleagues as well; from former students to alumni chapter members, the bond we share through Fulbright is truly like no other.