Suzanne joined the Fulbright Association in 2012.

When and where did your Fulbright take place? What did you do during your grant year?

I was a Fulbright Scholar in 2012 in Ireland, where I taught journalism at the Dublin Institute of Technology (now known as Technological University Dublin) and conducted research about online journalism in Ireland.

How has your Fulbright experience impacted your life and career?

The experience has been transformative for me, dozens of students at Columbia College Chicago where I teach, and my family. It affected me both professionally and personally, giving me a deeper appreciation of the importance of cultural exchange and the critical role each of us can play in helping create peace and understanding here and abroad. Since my Fulbright a decade ago, I’ve taken nearly 100 Columbia College students to Ireland for a special January session course, some of whom have never traveled outside Chicago, helping extend the impact from me to so many others.

What is your most memorable experience as a Fulbright Association member?

There are so many that come to mind, but if I were to name just a few it would be lecturing on journalism at universities in Dublin and Limerick and at a conference at the BBC in the UK and being able to travel to Berlin for the Fulbright conference where I met many other Fulbrighters.

Have you met any Fulbright alumni as a Fulbright Association member?

I’ve met many Fulbright alumni at the annual conference as well as through the Chicago Chapter, where I serve on the board. Planning events that bring together current Fulbrighters (both students and professors) has been an especially rewarding experience as the various events have helped many of us make professional and personal connections that will last a lifetime.

Photo 1: Suzanne McBride (right) and her family spent an afternoon in spring 2012 visiting Sinead Lemass (center), a film professor at the Dublin Institute of Technology where Suzanne taught as a Fulbright Scholar. The two shared an office at the university. Sinead and her mother (left) are both related to former Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Sean Lemass.

Photo 2: Suzanne McBride (right) reading about Irish culture with her father, John D. McBride, a Yeats scholar who visited Suzanne and her family when they lived in the Dublin area.