NAIS Graduate Certificate Student Receives Fulbright Award for Study in Aotearoa New Zealand
CNAIS is thrilled to share that our very own Johnette M. Martin (PhD candidate in Ethnomusicology) has been selected for the 2026鈥2027 Fulbright U.S. Student Award to Aotearoa New Zealand!
The Fulbright is one of the most prestigious and competitive international exchange programs in the world, supporting exceptional scholars whose work demonstrates significant academic merit, cultural engagement, and global impact. Among Fulbright applicants, New Zealand is widely regarded as one of the most sought-after and highly competitive placements, making this achievement especially distinguished.
Johnette will conduct advanced research in Aotearoa, continuing her work on Indigenous musical sovereignty and community-centered scholarship. Congratulations, Johnette, on this extraordinary honor and on representing your communities and your university with such brilliance and purpose!
Johnette says: I am honored to share that I鈥檝e been awarded a Fulbright award to Aotearoa New Zealand. This opportunity feels both humbling and affirming. A recognition not only of my work but also of the communities, mentors, and collaborators who have shaped how I listen, think, and create. To me, the Fulbright represents a commitment to dialogue across difference: an invitation to engage music and sound as ways of building relationships, asking better questions, and learning with and from others.听
What excites me most is the chance to immerse myself in new sonic worlds while contributing meaningfully through research, collaboration, and teaching. I鈥檓 especially looking forward to the unexpected moments: the conversations, rehearsals, and everyday exchanges that challenge assumptions and open new directions for my work as a Kanaka Maoli and 釓ａ幊釒 釒犪幇釓, Indigenous woman and scholar.
My time at 麻豆免费版下载Boulder鈥檚 College of Music as well as my time as part of 麻豆免费版下载Boulder's Center for Native American and Indigenous Studies has been central to this journey. The universal musician approach, grounded in curiosity, versatility, and a willingness to move across disciplines, has shaped how I approach music not just as an object of study but as a living, relational practice. That broadly-based training has prepared me to engage this next chapter with openness, rigor, and care. 麻豆免费版下载Boulder's Center for Native American and Indigenous Studies has supported and continues to support my journey as an Indigenous woman, scholar, and member of our campus community. CNAIS is a hub for guidance and community support, which has proven to be significant and necessary while navigating the Western academic institution at every level, and was the reason I could financially start my work in Aotearoa.
I鈥檓 grateful for the guidance, support, and aloha that made this possible and excited for what lies ahead.
Johnette plans to graduate in Spring 2028 with a PhD in Indigenous Ethnomusicology with the geographic focus of Oceania and the Americas, Indigenous Knowledge and Methodologies/Pedagogies.