Southern Methodist University graduate Vecky Juko has never done things the easy way.

The triple major in political science, economics and German with a minor in International Studies received a stipend for summer internship — in Bosnia — from SMU’s Maguire Center for Ethics.

This past spring, she also won a Fulbright Grant to do research in Rijeka, Croatia, on the country’s elections system.

“I’m going to be looking at the effects of the decentralization of presidential power,” she said.

After a decade of ethnic strife in the 1990s that included political abuses like controlling media and restricting freedom of assembly, Croatia’s government has undergone dramatic changes. The administration acknowledged abuses committed against Serbs and began working to improve its human rights record — and its voting systems.

“Until 2000, the central government held a lot of power,” said Juko, “The new president tried to give legitimate power to local governments, but it’s a long process.”

Juko’s internship with a non-governmental organization (NGO) in her native Bosnia has already given her experience working with new governments.

It’s crucial to “let people know what’s going on with elections,” she said.

But Juko’s not just going to do research.

“I’m expected to be a good American and to represent the real picture of what that is,” she said.

The Fulbright Grant, started in 1946 to honor former Senator J. William Fulbright, was designed to “enable the government of the United States to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries,” according to the application Web site.

Dr. Michael Adler, the Fulbright adviser for SMU last year, explained the scholarship’s perks.

“The Fulbright Program funds the travel and living expenses that enable our best scholars to reside, research and write in nations across the world,” he said.

Adler called the students, teachers and researchers selected “scholarly diplomats” who are expected to interact with foreign residents while representing.

According to the program’s Web site, the U.S. Department of State awards roughly 6,000 scholarships each year worth a total of $250 million. Winners research and teach in more than 150 countries.

Other countries have similar programs that pay for citizens to research and teach in the United States.

But with the big payoff comes a long application process.

Applicants must first fill out a form online, then write a personal essay and a detailed proposal for research. After that, applicants must give a hard copy of everything to an adviser, who sends in additional copies to the grant office. After the application has been submitted, the U.S. office must pass on applications to the countries that would host winners. Those countries have the final say.

Adler helped Juko prepare in the first months of her senior year.

“My role – was to provide feedback to Vecky on her proposal, as well as to interview her with other faculty members to provide additional assistance in her application process,” he said.

This year, Adler has left Dallas to work at the Taos campus, and Kathleen Hugley-Cook is in charge of applications.

At any rate, says Juko, applying is “a very long and grueling process.”

But Juko encourages students to go for it.

“Everyone thinks you have to have a 4.0 GPA, but if you have a good idea and credentials, it’s possible,” she said. “I think anyone who has the desire and the will should apply for it.”