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Justina Belo has just returned home from two years of study in the United States, a time that she looks back on as “a life-changing experience and one of the most rewarding achievements I have ever had.”

A Timor-Leste national, Ms Belo recently graduated from Oklahoma State University with a Master’s in Environmental Management. Justina said she couldn’t be more proud and grateful for the experience, which she earned as a recipient of the prestigious Fulbright-SERN Scholarship.

The Fulbright-SERN scholarship program is supported by ConocoPhillips (representing the Bayu-Undan Joint Venture), the Autoridade Nacional do Petróleo e Minerais (ANPM), with the US Embassy in Timor-Leste as the implementing partner. 

Earlier this month the ambassador of the United States of America to Timor-Leste, Hon. Kathleen Fitzpatrick, hosted a hail and farewell to welcome back Justina and two other Timorese who had successfully graduated from their postgraduate studies in the US, and to farewell an additional three Fulbright-SERN recipients who will be departing in July.

Justina gave a speech at the event and provided some words of wisdom to the departing students.

“Consider yourself as an ambassador of Timor-Leste to your home university as you will be promoting our culture there. Bring your cultural attire and small size flag with you because I’m sure you will need it,” she said.

“Everyone experiences homesickness when studying abroad; use it as motivation to finish your study on time. Also, try to join an extracurricular activity on campus to keep yourself busy as well as to broaden your horizon.” Justina definitely lived by these words, getting involved in a number of extracurricular activities during her time in Oklahoma. She even managed to discover another talent while she was away: “The best part of my experience in the US was when I won the Oklahoma State University talent show. I never knew I could sing on stage, let alone the winning part!”

What’s next for Justina? Currently she is working as a volunteer with the National Directorate of Climate Change, under the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Environment. However, her wish is to hone her expertise in water management. “I want to see myself working in an agency where I can apply expertise in water quality and watershed management, and I’m looking towards becoming a trained Geographic Information System (GIS) expert in the future,” she said.

Since the commencement of the first program in 2012, 19 Timorese have successfully graduated and returned home. It is hoped that Justina and her peers will become the future leaders of Timor-Leste.  

Estuda iha US hanesan esperensia hodi hadia-moris ba Bolseiru sira

  Justina Belo foin fila husi ninia estudu tinan rua iha Estadus Unidus Amerika, tempu nebe nia hare fila fali hanesan “esperensia hodi hadia-moris no realizasaun boot ida mak hau heten”.

Justina, hanesan sidadaun Timor-oan ida foin dadaun gradua husi Oklahoma State University ho diploma Mestradu iha area Jestaun Meiu-Ambiente. Justina hateten nia kontente tebes ba esperensia mak nia hetan, hodi sai hanesan bolseiru ida ba programa bolsu-estudu prestijioju Fulbright-SERN.

Programa bolsu-estudu Fulbright-SERN suporta husi ConocoPhillips (reprezenta Parseiru sira iha Bayu-Undan), Autoridade Nacional do Petróleo e Minerais (ANPM), ho Embaixada Estadus Unidus Amerika iha Timor-Leste hanesan parseiru implementador.  Iha inisiu fulan ne’e ambassador Estadus Unidus Amerika ba Timor-Leste, Sra. Kathleen Fitzpatrick, konvoka serimonia ida hodi despede nomos bemvinda Timor-oan nain tolu nebe mak ho susesu gradua hosi sira nia estudu pos-graduadu iha US, no despede estudante nain tolu hanesan bolseiru foun ba Fulbright-SERN nebe sei aranka iha fulan Jullu. Justina halo diskursu ida iha eventu ne’e no fosai liafuan sabedoria ba estudante sira mak atu aranka.

“Konsidera imi nia aan hanesan ambaixador Timor-Leste iha imi nia Universidade ida-ida tamba imi sei promove ita nia kultura iha neba. Lori imi nia roupa kultural no Bandeira kiik ida tamba hau fiar katak imi sei presija sasan hirak ne’e,” nia dehan.

“Ema hotu-hotu sei hetan esperensia konaba saudades sira nia uma no familia wainhira estuda iha ema nia rai; uza ida ne’e hanesan motivasaun hodi remata imi nia estudu ho pontual. Nomos, koko atu hola parte iha atividade extra-kurikular iha kampus hodi halo imi okupadu nomos hodi haluan imi nia mundu.”

Justina fiar ba liafuan hirak ne’e, involve aan iha atividade extra-kurikular durante nia tempu iha Oklahoma. Nia maneja hodi deskubri talentu seluk wainhira nia iha neba: “parte nebe furak teb-tebes husi hau nia esperensia iha US mak wainhira hau manan kompetisaun talentu nian iha Oklahoma State University. Hau nunka hanoin katak hau bele kanta iha palku, nomos sai hanesan manan-nain!” Saida mak Justina sei halo tuir mai?

Agora dadaun nia servisu voluntariu iha Diresaun Nasional ba Mudansa Klimatika, iha Ministeriu Komersiu, Industria no Meiu-Ambiente nia okos. Maibe, nia hakarak mak atu aumenta ninia matenek iha area jestaun bee nian.

“Hau hakarak hare hau nia aan serbisu iha ajensia ida nebe hau bele aplika hau nia matenek konaba jestaun kualidade no armazenamentu bee nian, no hau mos iha mehi hakarak atu sai hanesan matenek-nain iha Sistema Geografia Informasaun (GIS) iha future,” nia hatutan.

Desde programa ne’e hahu iha tinan 2012, Timor-oan hamutuk 19 mak ho susesu gradua no fila hikas. Iha esperansa katak Justina no nia kolega sira bele sai lider ba nasaun Timor-Leste iha futuru.