By Dr. Katerina Zlatkova-Doncheva, associate professor in Special Education and head of the Pedagogy Department at the University of Veliko Tarnovo and a Fulbright scholar at Michigan State University in AY 2023-24. She is a passionate advocate and researcher on best practices in the field of educational inclusion, and her mentoring program for youths with intellectual disabilities has won awards from Veliko Tarnovo Municipality and the Bulgarian Ministry of Labor and Social Policy.
It was a great honor for me to be a part of the team and the academic community of Michigan State University in East Lansing as a Fulbright Visiting Scholar. I had dreamed of dedicating myself to pure science for some time, and as a Fulbrighter, the dream came true. I embarked on an incredible research journey in the world of Special Education. It was truly inspiring to see how science and practice can go hand in hand at the STRIDE Research Center, part of the College of Education at MSU, whose primary goal is to support and educate children and individuals with disabilities and their families.
I worked with a wonderful team of motivated colleagues. An important part of the center’s mission is the practical applicability of the research it conducts by engaging the community. I spent a lot of time in two schools, because real changes in the system occur when the researcher is on the ground, working closer to practitioners. I learned a lot from the children and youth I worked with directly in the ASSET and EPASS programs, which prepare young people with special needs for the transition to real life and the labor market. However, I learned the most from Jared—a young man with Down syndrome, whom I spent a lot of time with, and whom we studied very thoroughly. We started together on joint research about people with intellectual disabilities that I have continued working on in Bulgaria.
I was also a guest speaker at the College of Education in Kansas State University, Manhattan, and we started a long-term collaboration by signing a Memorandum of Understanding and applying for Erasmus+ contract. Our partnership continues in Bulgaria, where I hosted Professor Barbara Mitchell, Professor Marilyn Kaff, and Dr. Kathy Anstaett from KSU. They presented their research and expertise in Special Education during the Sixth International Scientific Forum “From Inclusion to Participation in the Educational Process” in the town of Shabla and in the Summer School for Inclusive Education in Varna, organized by the National Association of Resource Teachers. Professor Susan Yelich-Biniecki was also an online guest speaker at the International Summer School for Creative Writing and Translation, organized by St. Cyril and St. Methodius University of Veliko Tarnovo.
I also had the chance to travel quite a bit and visit Fort Collins and Colorado State University during the Fulbright Enrichment Seminar dedicated to climate change, as well as visiting Washington, DC, and Miami. These journeys provided a rich impression of American culture in very different States. I am grateful to the Fulbright Program for this wonderful opportunity! I left the United States extremely enriched and a bit wiser.
If you are a Bulgarian scholar (PhD holder), your chance to follow in Professor Zlatkova-Doncheva’s footsteps and expand your academic scope is just a few clicks away! The competition for Fulbright scholar grants to the US for AY 2025-26 is now open.