Marathon graduate heads to Finland as Fulbright Scholar

In about a week, Ariana Blair of Marathon City will be leaving the United States for the first time in her life, but it won’t be for an end-of-the-summer vacation.

Instead, Blair will be headed to the Scandinavian nation of Finland to pursue a master’s degree in Peace, Mediation and Conflict Research. Having graduated from Marathon High School in 2016 and earned a bachelor’s degree in international studies from UW-Oshkosh, Blair has been awarded the prestigious J. William Fulbright Scholarship for 2025-2026.

As a Fulbright Scholar, she will be representing her country as a student at Tampere University, located about two hours north of the capital in Helsinki. Getting to this point has taken years of hard work and dedication, and Blair continues to prep for the journey.

“It’s pretty fast-paced,” she said. “I’m still running around like crazy, trying to get stuff done before I leave.”

The third time was the charm for Blair, who had previously applied for the Fulbright Scholarship twice before.

“It’s very, very common that the first time you apply you don’t get it,” she said.

With the help of Marianne Johnson, an advisor at UW-Oshkosh, Blair went through the process of applying three times, which includes writing essays, getting letters of recommendation and submitting information about herself.

Once she qualified as a semi-finalist, she did an interview with a panel representing the Finland Fulbright Foundation, which was used to determine if she was serious about earning her master’s.

“It was pretty intense for me, just because I knew a lot was riding on it,” she said. “They evaluate you to see if you’re a good fit.”

Blair credits her mother, Susan (Hoffman) Blair, for supporting her throughout her journey, including joining her on a day trip down to Chicago to visit the U.S. Consulate Office.

“She’s been great throughout this entire process,” she said. “I’m really grateful for her.”

Once she became a finalist, Blair had to go through the process of applying to the university, obtaining a residence visa in Finland and arranging for housing in a country half-way around the world. Even if she had qualified for the scholarship, she would not have been able to use it if she didn’t also get accepted to the university’s program.

“You have to have a very clear vision of what you want – what university you want, what program you want to get into – because you are not able to switch programs once you get there,” she said.

One thing that helped her qualify for the scholarship was her past work as a refugee resettlement case manager at the Ethiopian Development Community (EDC) Multicultural Center in Wausau, where she helped newly arrived refugees and their families establish new lives in America. Her work involved connecting clients with public benefits, medical appointments and English classes.

“It was a really great opportunity to, number one, help people, but also to get cultural exposure as well as making a positive impact,” she said. “I learned a lot with that job, as far as what’s happening in the world with forced displacement.”

EDC works with refugees from around the world, including Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion of their country, Afghans who have left their war-torn country, the Rohyinga people from Myanmar and those from South American nations. The non-profit was originally founded by an Ethiopian refugee to help those from his home country, but it has since expanded to assist those from other countries, she said.

Blair said her two years at the resettlement center taught her about the lived experiences of refugees and inspired her to continue her education at Tampere University, which has a well-known Peace, Mediation and Conflict Research program.

“It’s ranked really highly, so that’s why I chose it,” she said.

Unlike most college students who get a chance to tour the university they’re attending ahead of time, Blair has done everything virtually, including appyling for her student visa. She’s also used an app called Goin’ to connect with students in Finland and learn about their culture.

After earning her master’s degree, Blair said her goal is to work as a foreign service officer at the U.S. State Department, where she would be expected to understand the underlying causes of conflict in different parts of the world so she can act as a negotiator. She would like to specialize in Northern European politics, transnational conflict and resolution, but she knows that she will not get to pick her first assignments.

When asked what Wisconsinites should know about refugees, Blair said they’re “very grateful and they understand that America is a land of opportunity.”

“They work very, very hard to learn English. From my experience, my clients worked hard to learn English to adjust to American culture,” she said. “The children who are school-age pick up English very fast and they make friends pretty fast too, which is great to see.”

Prior to the recent wave of refugees, Blair said the Wausau area hasn’t seen many immigrants resettling here since the Hmong arrived over 40 years ago.

“These people who are coming in from different countries that may have different religions, ethnic backgrounds or culture, they all share the same gratitude for being here,” she said. “They will also work very, very hard to make a better life for their family and themselves, while still having their own traditions and culture within their community.”