(from left to right) U.S. Ambassador Fitzpatrick, 2018 Fulbright-SERN Scholar Gilsel Borges, ANPM President Gualdino do Carmo da Silva, and ConocoPhillips Country Manager José Lobato Gonçalves
DILI - More than 100 Timorese recipients of the J. William Fulbright Scholarship, the Fulbright-SERN Scholarship, the United States – Timor-Leste (USTL) Scholarship, and other programs received special recognition during a celebratory event at Timor Plaza on June 12, 2018.
U.S. Ambassador Kathleen M. Fitzpatrick joined National Authority for Petroleum and Minerals (ANPM) President Gualdino do Carmo da Silva, ConocoPhillips Country Manager José Lobato Gonçalves, and other distinguished guests at the reception. The event featured seven outstanding Timorese who will depart over the next several months for their Fulbright, Fulbright-SERN, and USTL Scholarship-funded studies in the United States. Rosaria Elisabeth Aniceto Cardoso Amaral received a Fulbright Scholarship, while Gilsel Emanuel Morais Correia Borges, Agostinho Maia, and Ernesto Pinto received this year’s Fulbright-SERN Scholarships. The 2018 USTL Scholarship recipients include Jorguino Savio, Clinton Guterres, and Aderito Mambares. The students will pursue either Master’s or undergraduate degrees at various U.S. universities.
In her remarks, Ambassador Fitzpatrick noted the importance of education for Timor-Leste’s future. “The Government of the United States is very pleased to support the future leaders of Timor-Leste. You are the ones who will help find new solutions to problems and to create new opportunities for other Timorese.” She also noted the presence of Americans serving in Timor-Leste as U.S. Fulbright Scholars, Public Policy Fellows, English Language Fellows and Specialists, and Peace Corps Volunteers. “You really do represent the best that America has to offer and your participation in these programs helps demonstrate the value of academic and cultural exchange.”
ANPM President Gualdino do Carmo da Silva
Fulbright-SERN Scholars Justina Belo, Bonaventura Bali, and Andre A. Nono recently returned from the United States with Master’s degrees and now join more than 600 alumni of U.S. Government-funded exchange programs in Timor-Leste. The U.S. Embassy and its partners will continue efforts to broaden Timorese participation in these programs as an effective means to strengthen bilateral ties while fostering security and economic growth in Timor-Leste. The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs sponsors the Fulbright Foreign Student Program and the USTL Scholarship Program, while additional support for the Fulbright-SERN Graduate Scholarship is from the Bayu-Undan Joint Ventures.
The ANPM on behalf of the Government of Timor-Leste appreciates the collaborative efforts to continue awarding outstanding Timorese with scholarships from the prestigious Fulbright-SERN Program for the fourth year in 2018. “We thank the Government of the United States of America, ConocoPhillips and Bayu-Undan Joint Ventures for showing devotion to the program by awarding Fulbright-SERN Scholarships to these three excellent Timorese today,” said ANPM President Gualdino do Carmo da Silva in his remarks at the event. “We believe this is an excellent opportunity for selected Timorese nationals to pursue greater academic achievement in oil and gas-related fields of study in the United States to continue contributing to the development of Timor-Leste.” With ongoing cooperation between all relevant partners, an increased number of qualified Timorese will work in the energy sector and other fields in the coming years. More information about these scholarships and other exchanges is available on the U.S. Embassy website and ANPM website. (pr)
