A member of Native’s family earns U.S. Embassy Grant as Portugal's Only Global Winner
Joana Bordalo received a grant from the U.S. Embassy for her project, the only selected from Portugal worldwide.
October began on a high note with the co-founder of the Same Home Town programme (SHT), Joana Bordalo, visiting the U.S. Consulate Ponta Delgada, located on São Miguel Island, in the Azores, to receive a prestigious grant.
Since 1795, the United States has nurtured its friendship and common purpose with the Azores to maintain historic partnerships with the local people and to increase educational, commercial, and cultural exchanges between them.
Three years ago, Joana joined the Fulbright Programme, the flagship international academic exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government, which offers students and scholar the opportunity to study, teach, or conduct research in the United States. It also allows american participants to engage in similar activities in other countries. In addition to Fulbright, Joana was also an alumnus of another U.S. Embassy initiative – the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs.
Building on these experiences, she decided to apply for the Grant open to student alumni of the U.S. Embassy, with the support of fellow Fulbright alumni, Gonçalo Forjaz from Terceira Island, and Francisco Cruz from Lisbon. Thanks to their collaboration, Joana was able to secure the grant.
During her visit, Joana had the opportunity to meet with Consul Margaret Campbell and Vice-Consul Christopher Gosselin. She expressed her appreciation for Fulbright and also FLAD, (the Luso-American Development Foundation), saying, "I would like to once again thank Fulbright and FLAD for the unique experience they provided me in the U.S. three years ago."
The grant will fund 24 workshops in the EU's Outermost Regions, emphasising the Azores, a game-changing development for the programme.
Joana highlighted the importance of this achievement, saying, “It is a great privilege to receive this vote of confidence, knowing that it was the only project selected from Portugal worldwide. Partnering with the U.S. Embassy allows us to bring quality science and education to the EU's outermost regions, both Portuguese territories – the Azores and Madeira.”
In 2022/2023, over 1,000 students participated in the SHT programme, and Rodrigo, a 10-year-old from Vila do Porto, Santa Maria Island, was one of three winners for best sentence: “If I were a scientist, I would be a scholar, share my experiences with other children, and learn from them as well.”
The upcoming first SHT workshop of the year will be held in Vila Franca do Campo, São Miguel Island. At Native Scientists, we are proud of our members' success and we are confident that this grant will inspire many more stories like his.
About Native Scientists
Founded in 2013, Native Scientists is a pan-European non-profit organisation connecting underserved children and scientists. It exists to broaden children's horizons, promoting scientific literacy and reducing inequalities through science outreach educational programmes.
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