GOSHEN —
It’s official — Jarrod Huffman is on his way to India.
That’s welcome news for the young Goshen native, who just a few weeks ago was unsure if the trip would ever take place.
A 2005 graduate of Bethany High School, Huffman went on to graduate from the United States Air Force Academy this past May.
In April he was selected to participate in the prestigious Fulbright Scholarship program, the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government with the goal of increasing mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.
A huge fan of India since he was a boy, Huffman was ecstatic to learn his choice of an exchange with the county had been accepted. It was not long before he was making preparations for the year-long trip.
“We have a family friend who runs a school in India and he would come to our house for about one month every year,” Huffman said. “Through conversations with him, India just kind of became this really cool place for me, so between my sophomore and junior year at the academy I decided to take some time off and I actually spent seven months in India.
After that trip, he said, it was just a natural choice to go back.
In order to be selected for the Fulbright, Huffman had to submit a detailed research proposal explaining exactly what he planned to accomplish during his time in the county — in Huffman’s case, studying the country’s educational system at Kolkata’s Jadavpur University.
“When you talk about the world outside of the west, and the ways a lot of countries are trying to improve, education tends to be one of those ways that makes one of the largest long-term impacts,” Huffman said. “Education is a topic I find very interesting, and definitely worthwhile.”
As an official military man following his graduation, Huffman was required to secure a leave of absence from his military duties in order to participate in the Fulbright exchange — something he said the military was happy to do.
“I’ve more or less been released for a year to pursue this program,” Huffman said. “When I complete the research project, then I’ll come back to the states to resume a more typical career progression.”
While securing the blessing of the U.S. Airforce was virtually a non-issue for Huffman, securing the blessing of the Indian government turned out to be another story entirely.
“It was a little bit up in the air for a while,” Huffman said. “There was some confusion, just like visa application issues, and paperwork-type stuff.
“The Indian government is kind of complicated and bureaucratic, so there are a lot of different hoops that you have to jump through, especially on a longer trip.”
Fortunately for Huffman, that confusion turned out to be only a momentary delay, rather than the trip-killer he had feared.
“It’s all been worked out now,” Huffman said. “This type of thing is pervasive at every level in India, so whether it’s having to do with the bank, or having to deal with reregistering any foreigners, it all takes surprisingly long, and it’s something that you just have to kind of get used to.
“We in the U.S. tend to think everything has to happen right away, but when you’re in someone else’s country as their guest, you have to play by their rules,” he said.
Not one to rest on his laurels, Huffman received his trip visa on Wednesday, and was packed and on his way to the airport to embark on his year-long journey Saturday morning.
“Everything up until now has been worry,” Huffman said. “... It feels so good now to be past all that.”
While in India, Huffman will take approximately three months of language courses. After that he will devote the majority of his time to community volunteerism and research.
Local News
Related Photos
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Jarrod Huffman poses in front of the Taj Mahal during a previous trip to India in late 2007. PHOTO SUBMITTED
Fulbright scholar Jarrod Huffman is headed to India
Bethany, Air Force graduate on his way after getting a visa
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