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Historians, assigned the duty of reconstructing the past, frequently traverse nations and seas to obtain sources and gain a more profound understanding of their research subjects.

For Danielle Wirsansky, a graduate student in the Department of History at Florida State University, this involved traveling to Israel to follow the journeys of female operatives of Britain’s Special Operations Executive (SOE), an intelligence agency during World War II, through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program.

“I cannot emphasize enough how transformative it is for my research to physically travel to an archive in the nation that you’re investigating,” she remarked. “This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime chance.”

The Fulbright Program is the premier international educational exchange initiative funded by the U.S. government, aimed at fostering mutual understanding between U.S. citizens and individuals from other nations.

Recipients of the Fulbright U.S. Student Program grants are chosen based on academic or professional excellence and proven leadership capabilities in their respective areas, with the program operating across more than 160 nations globally..

The primary funding source is an annual allocation provided by Congress to the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Support is also contributed by participating governments, host institutions, corporations, and foundations.

Wirsansky’s initial interest in a Fulbright fellowship arose after observing its enduring influence on the career of her doctoral advisor, Department of History Professor Emeritus Nathan Stoltzfus. Stoltzfus, previously the Dorothy and Jonathan Rintels Professor of Holocaust Studies, taught at FSU for nearly three decades before retiring in 2024 and researched in Germany in 1984 through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, still engaging with the same material from his fellowship.

“It was truly astounding to witness the longevity and impact a Fulbright award could yield, and that it remains the cornerstone of the research and career he has cultivated for over three decades,” Wirsansky reflected.

Wirsansky holds both undergraduate and master’s degrees from FSU. Her initial connection with Stoltzfus — and history itself — was made through the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP).

Pursuing degrees in creative writing and theatre, she encountered difficulties in finding arts-related UROP projects and opted to join Stoltzfus’ investigation on the Rosenstrasse Protest, which occurred between February 27 and March 6, 1943, when around 200 non-Jewish German women held a peaceful protest in frigid conditions outside the Rosenstrasse detention center in Berlin, demanding the liberation of their Jewish relatives (primarily husbands) who they feared were on the verge of deportation to concentration camps.

Continuing her collaboration with Stoltzfus, Wirsansky crafted a play with musical elements about the Holocaust for her Honors in the Major project. She subsequently sought her master’s in history at FSU to validate her credentials as a historical playwright. Falling in love with research and writing throughout the journey, she decided to continue for her doctorate to focus on the themes of her master’s thesis, which examined the transformation of women’s roles in British society through the viewpoint of female spies.

Eager to emulate her advisor’s path and establish a comparable foundation in historical research, Wirsansky commenced preparations for her Fulbright application the moment she entered her doctoral program.

She aspired to journey to Jerusalem, Israel, to uncover the stories of female agents in the SOE, a British intelligence body established in 1940 to execute espionage, sabotage, and reconnaissance in German-occupied territories during World War II. Specifically, Wirsansky’s endeavor focuses on examining the experiences of agents who were apprehended and subsequently imprisoned in concentration camps.

In Jerusalem, Wirsansky was granted special access to resources at the Yad Vashem Museum, Israel’s official memorial institution honoring Holocaust victims.

“This is one of the rare locations where I can truly obtain deeper insights for my research, so it’s been astonishing to finally engage with these resources,” she stated. “It’s going to enrich my dissertation, making it far more substantial, evocative, and significant than it could have been without this opportunity.”

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