By Alison Munson
Daily Titan Staff Writer
Published: November 19, 2009

By Alison Munson
For the Daily Titan

Sitting in a stiff blue library chair, the petite woman of 25 seemed more comfortable in person than on the telephone. A nervous laugh belied a hidden confidence as she began to describe her transition from Ukraine to the United States.

Nataliya Kuryliak Pratsovyta spoke in a soft tone with a voice appropriate for the Pollak Library; she spends most of her time in the library these days. Kuryliak Pratsovyta, a Fulbright Scholar, moved to Fullerton, Calif., in order to pursue a vision: a master’s in English and comparative literature.

“She’s definitely the most driven person I’ve met,” said Andrea Castle, 22, a fellow graduate student. “She studies 24 hours a day and will come to class with 10 pages of notes. She’s all kinds of intense.”

The Fulbright Graduate Students Exchange Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and grants both American and international students the opportunity to learn from the host country’s educational system and everyday cultural experiences. Funds necessary for living and learning in the U.S. are provided, according to the program’s Web site.

In an interview with “Inside,” a CSUF publication, Fulbright Scholar student adviser Volker Janssen said the program “recognizes maturity and intellectual flexibility and helps any student stand out in the academic world and in the job market. It can be a life-changing experience.”

To be accepted into the program, Kuryliak Pratsovyta endured a year-long process of interviews, essays and tests to determine her eligibility.

Her mother, father and husband all highly value education, so when the official invitation to study in the U.S. came, the whole family celebrated.

In the three months since she left home, Kuryliak Pratsovyta has been renting a room at a private residence in Fullerton and studying continuously while trying to adapt to a new culture. Every day she is reminded of her family by a few pictures stuffed into her little brown wallet. Her husband and daughter are waiting for Christmas break, when it is expected that the two will be able to visit Kuryliak Pratsovyta.

With shining eyes she described her 3-year-old and hopes her daughter will enjoy the greenery of Kuryliak Pratsovyta’s new home. The lush yard and garden of the private residence is a bit exotic when compared to their apartment in Ukraine, which is set in the middle of the city where buildings replace trees.

Born in the bustling historic city of L’viv, Ukraine, Kuryliak Pratsovyta’s world expanded at the age of 7 when she became fascinated with traveling.

“I wanted to travel,” Kuryliak Pratsovyta said. “I wanted to be able to speak and write to different people.”

Her love of language began in the first grade when she took a required intensive English course and realized early on that English would open doors to the whole world.

Education in Ukraine takes a different shape, especially at the university level, Kuryliak Pratsovyta said. The system takes a planned approach where each major is accompanied by a complete list of required courses, excluding electives.

“In Ukraine, all canonized authors are included, and you cannot skip anything,” Kuryliak Pratsovyta said, with a new confidence rising from her secure insight on the subject.

During her first study abroad experience as a junior at Ivan Franko National University of L’viv, Kuryliak Pratsovyta studied the American educational system and policies at Trinity College in Hartford, Conn.

In the midst of her studies, a new interest was ignited as she was exposed to American literature. Kuryliak Pratsovyta became more excited about the field as she came to understand the contemporary process and realized American literature reflects political and historical themes that appear in many countries across the globe, she said.

“I wanted to see different people in different ways,” Kuryliak Pratsovyta said. “Literature helps me understand people more.”

As for now, Kuryliak Pratsovyta must direct her energy toward her final master’s project, founded on Eastern-European-American authors and the immigration process. Ultimately, she strives to complete the two-year master’s program in hopes to pursue an even loftier goal of obtaining her doctorate in English. But the future is still unknown and as Kuryliak Pratsovyta laughingly said, “It’s too early to say. Ask me at the end of the semester.”