Lisa Mallozzi Tapiero has over fifteen years of experience working in the field of international education and continually finds new ways to apply this knowledge to her work at LASPAU. She is the manager of advising services, overseeing the advising of all of the scholarship programs that LASPAU administers. Lisa has also worked as a program advisor for many years and has been instrumental in the success of many grantees during their academic programs abroad. She received bachelor's and master's degrees in Romance Languages and Literatures from Harvard University. As an undergraduate she obtained grants to do thesis research in Argentina, and before coming to LASPAU worked at the Pan American Games and taught English in Spain. Her compassion and expertise as an advisor has enabled her to provide vital support for the Fulbright and COLCIENCIAS grantees from Colombia.
Q: You are manager of advising services for LASPAU. Could you briefly describe your current responsibilities in this role?
Tapiero: I coordinate the activities of the monitoring area of LASPAU, working with the program advisors for all of the programs to set up systems and streamline processes to ensure we provide the best possible service to the grantees while they are in their academic programs.
Q: Which programs are you currently involved in as a program advisor?
Tapiero: As a program advisor, I currently work with the following programs in Colombia: Fulbright-COLCIENCIAS-DNP, Fulbright Graduate Scholarship for the Regions, Caldas Scholarships: Fulbright Colombia-COLCIENCIAS for study in the United States, Fulbright-Suramericana Scholarship, J. William Fulbright Scholarship, and COLCIENCIAS.
Q: You have been at LASPAU for more than fifteen years, providing assistance to hundreds of grantees. How have your grantees, once they have returned from their programs, had a positive impact on their own countries?
Tapiero: The grantees return to their home countries to become leaders in their institutions and fields of interest, and they develop lasting contacts, cultivate links between institutions, and share their knowledge with the next generation of learners. I am always very pleased to hear about the grantees' accomplishments when they return home, and to see former grantees' names on the letters of recommendation for the new grantees, showing the progression and leadership they have already accomplished within their institutions.
Q: You work very closely with the programs LASPAU administers for Colombia. What significant changes have you seen in the way the country approaches higher education?
Tapiero: I continue to be very impressed by the initiatives being developed by the Colombian Fulbright Commission and COLCIENCIAS. Both organizations have made great strides in expanding their grantee numbers and diversifying the candidate pool, and these efforts are already having a very positive impact on the institutions of higher education in Colombia. I am also impressed by the investment of the Colombian government in these initiatives, and by the creativity and perseverance of the Fulbright Commission in finding cost share partners from many different sectors.
Q: What do you find most rewarding about your work at LASPAU?
Tapiero: I really enjoy getting to know the grantees and helping them during their academic programs, and also working with the people in the Fulbright Commission, COLCIENCIAS, and the universities in the United States and Colombia. I am also very happy to be working with the region in general, doing something to promote the exchange of knowledge between Latin America and the United States.
Q: What advice would you give to grantees beginning their programs this fall?
Tapiero: Work hard at your studies, but be sure to take advantage of the many opportunities to learn things outside the classroom and to interact with other people at the university and in the community. I think the experience of living in another country teaches you not only about that country, but it also gives you many new perspectives about yourself and about your own country as well.
