Father-Daughter Fulbrighters to Uganda, 2017-2018

My mother came to the U.S. from Malawi and my father came from Uganda, both through scholarships for graduate school education. They both speak of their gratitude, not only for these opportunities, but also for the extensive guidance and support they have received from many teachers, relatives, and friends. 

In March of 2017, I received an email that brought me immense joy- “I am delighted to inform you that you have been selected as a Finalist for a 2017-2018 Fulbright U.S. Student Award to Uganda.” This award particularly was a point of pride given our familial heritage that has, without question, shaped my life perspective and aspirations; both of my parents are first-generation immigrants to the U.S.

My mother came to the U.S. from Malawi and my father came from Uganda, both through scholarships for graduate school education. They both speak of their gratitude, not only for these opportunities, but also for the extensive guidance and support they have received from many teachers, relatives, and friends. 

My parents’ experiences and hard work instilled in me a strong appreciation for education, diversity, and community service, values that undeniably motivate my medical interests. However, my parents’ pursuit of graduate education did not come without sacrifice. My father came to the U.S. in 1973. It was not until 15 years later that he safely returned to visit his family in Uganda. Thus, the ability for me to travel to Uganda, contributing to the field of psychiatric and neurologic research within the community, was an indescribably meaningful realization.

Surprisingly, my excitement quickly reached new heights I had not fathomed; only a few months following my acceptance, my father received a similar email, selected as a Fulbright U.S. Scholar to Uganda for 2017-2018. Through this grant, my father would research on and teach students about potential for pollution of Lake Victoria due to fertilizers and pesticides applied to cash crops (i.e., sugar cane, oil palm and tea) grown along the shores of the lake. My father and I study related but fairly different academic fields- my father; soil and water sciences and myself; medicine -yet we both had been given the opportunity to study what we love amidst our own community. 

In September of 2017, my father, Professor Peter Nkedi-Kizza, and I had the distinct pleasure and opportunity of traveling to Uganda together through Fulbright grants. This father-daughter pair is the first ever awarded fellowships by Fulbright to one country at the same time. My father and I both lived on campus at Makerere University in Uganda while on our Fulbright grants. 

At Makerere, my father taught Environmental Chemistry and Physics to classes of undergraduate and graduate students from Agriculture and Chemistry departments. It was inspiring to see my fathers’ dedication to his students and the bonds he formed with his class through research, teaching, and mentorship.

 I similarly met brilliant students at Makerere and provided advice on applying to graduate school. These encounters were so fruitful, with several Ugandan students I mentored having even received Fulbright grants to the U.S. themselves. Every day of my Fulbright experience was an adventure. From research visits to local hospitals to volunteering at the U.S. Embassy, Fulbright beneficially granted me space to collaborate with other professionals.

When not at work, we spent ample time with family. Our family is vast, with nearly 40 cousins on my father’s side. There were family members whose names I had heard when they were newborns, but I now met for the first time over a decade later. I still distinctly remember bringing in the New Year surrounded by generations of family. 

The most memorable experience by far was the trip my father and I took to my father’s birthplace, Ssese Islands. Here, we visited my father’s old elementary school and the site of his childhood home. I heard stories of his upbringing numerous times, but nothing better crystalized these stories than visiting sites of these memories with my father. 

From being in Uganda, I got an incredible experience to learn more about the culture and community of this country. As a Ugandan-Malawian-American who has spent the majority of my life in the U.S., I cannot reiterate enough how special and invaluable it was for me to have extended time to spend with my father and my extended family. My heritage and my father’s memories hold a new weight in my soul. My personal and professional development has undoubtedly been enriched in so many ways, and I am extremely grateful to Fulbright for giving my father and me this unique academic opportunity.