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Soon Georgia Gwinnett College’s (GGC) Dr. MaryBeth Chrostowsky, instructor of anthropology, will add a prestigious title to her resume: Fulbright Scholar.

One of over 800 U.S. citizens who will teach and/or conduct research abroad through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program, Chrostowsky will spend a year in the African nation of Uganda, working with graduate students in the Refugee and Migrant Studies Program at Ugandan Martyrs University.

Her research will focus on kinship patterns and practices among South Sudanese refugees who have made the harrowing journey across the border to Uganda to escape oppression and poverty in their home country.

Chrostowsky developed her interests in such topics at a young age.

After earning her bachelor’s degree in psychology, she joined the Peace Corps and spent three years in the African nations of Chad and Cameroon.

“As a Peace Corps volunteer, you live, eat and sleep with people. You can’t be a Chadian, but you can walk their steps,” said Chrostowsky. “From that vantage, I could see a great disconnect, despite great intentions, between what expatriates and nongovernmental organizations were trying to do and what the people really needed.”

That experience changed everything for her, she said.

“I was always interested in knowing what people did and why. When I chose psychology as my undergraduate major, I was not familiar with the field of anthropology. My service in the Peace Corps made me aware of the cultural influences on peoples’ behavior.”

Upon her return to the U.S., she pursued a Master of Arts in anthropology at San Diego State University and a Ph.D. in anthropology at the University of Kentucky. She came to GGC in 2017.

“I instantly fell in love with the feeling of the school,” Chrostowsky said. “The idea that it’s an access school, the small class sizes, the diversity and the fact that we really focus on students got me. The diversity of religion, race and economic classes here is amazing. I try to get my students to recognize that every day.”

When she returns from Uganda, she will have new material to share with her GGC students.

“My interests in Uganda stem from my dissertation research in South Sudan,” said Chrostowsky. “From 2009-2010, I lived in Bor, South Sudan, among forced migrants who had fled their homes, then, following a peace agreement, returned to South Sudan after years of living in refugee camps in boarding countries. New fighting in South Sudan has brought about a new displacement, many fleeing to Uganda.”

Chrostowsky says a big part of her research strategy will be including her Ugandan graduate students in the process.

“I want them involved in our methods, collecting data, publishing that data, and, fingers crossed, participating in conferences,” she said. “I want to give them opportunities to expand their resumes and their experience.”

Established in 1946, the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international education and cultural exchange program for college students and faculty. It has provided more than 400,000 participants from over 160 countries with the opportunity to exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to challenges facing our communities and our world.

Upon returning to their home countries, institutions, labs and classrooms, Fulbright Scholars share their experiences, often becoming active supporters of international exchange, inviting foreign scholars to campus and encouraging colleagues and students to go abroad.