The U.S. Embassy in Costa Rica celebrated Fulbright Day on August 19. For this important celebration it was necessary to adapt to the security measures and protocols due to Covid-19.

The Cultural Affairs Office set the goal of updating the information available in CRM to include as many alumni as possible in a virtual activity. For this reason, we carried out a campaign that included a survey and a video from the Cultural Attaché, Lauren Garza. The survey was sent to more than 400 alumni and 241 of them responded.

The office prepared a video to commemorate Fulbright's footprint in Costa Rica and was broadcasted on all embassy social media.

The video shows a message from the Cultural Attaché Lauren Garza, as well as messages from former grantees who have made great contributions on issues of human rights, environmental conservation and technology development. A participant from the 1970s and a grantee that just finished her program also participated to show that Fulbright has made an impact through the generations. Finally, we showed the greetings of five former US ambassadors and their appreciation for the contribution of the Fulbright program. The video had 150 live viewers, there was an interaction with 521 people, and had a reach of 8,000 people.

On the same day, there was an activity at the University of Costa Rica, organized by the Fulbright Alumni Association, which was attended by 55 people. The guest of honor was the Rector of the university, who is a former Fulbright LASPAU Scholar. CDA Marcos Mandojana and PAO Kristin Haworth, who have just arrived in Costa Rica, participated in this activity and this was their first public activity. After the ceremony, there was an exhibition of photographs that tell some stories of Fulbright in Costa Rica. View photos from the alumni association event here.