Victoria Briscoe ’13 of Fort Worth, Texas, and Soha Nassef ’13 of Houston, Texas, will spend the next year abroad, teaching English and sharing their experiences through Fulbright grants. Each has received an English Teaching Assistantship: Victoria will travel to Malaysia; Soha will teach in France.
“I think I can bring the senses of focus, energy, creativity, and openness to others that are needed to be an ETA with young Malaysian children,” Victoria said of her assignment. “I am most enthusiastic for the opportunity to inspire a child and to have the joy and satisfaction of seeing children discover new things.”
Planning a career as a licensed psychologist and therapist, she will incorporate knowledge related to memory, language acquisition, and cognition into teaching English. “I am intrigued by the influence of dance in developing a cultural identity,” Victoria said. “While studying abroad, I had the opportunity to learn traditional Argentine tango and Spanish flamenco, and these experiences not only gave me a sense of belonging and immersion in the respective cultures but also functioned as creative and stimulating outlets to apply my Spanish language skills. Teaching how to dance in English to English song lyrics should have an incredible impact on the Malaysian children’s language skills and their ability to both retain and practice using various words and phrases.”
Following her Fulbright year, Victoria plans to pursue a degree in counseling psychology, possibly with a focus in child and adolescent development. Soha came to love the French language through her study at Austin College and credits her professors for much of her deep feeling about the language. “Their fierce love for teaching that language spills over to their students,” Soha said, adding her delight to spend a year in France. “I hope to bring to my students my own excitement for learning and that my teaching will inspire them to continue their language learning. I am so eager and passionate about young adults learning a second or third language, and I hope my lessons will enliven the classroom each day—and that the children will leave having added another piece to their puzzle of understanding.”
The Fulbright year will help prepare Soha for her career in teaching; in summer 2014, she plans to return to Austin College to complete a Master of Arts in Teaching degree through the Austin Teacher Program.
“The world needs excited, passionate teachers,” she said. “Students need teachers who enter the classroom eagerly each day with the goal of giving their students skills that will remain with them all their lives. Given my previous experience abroad working with students of all ages, I believe that I can be that teacher.”
Victoria Briscoe: Arthur V. and Mary A. Boand Scholarship
John D. Moseley Alumni Scholars Program
Evelyn L. Milam Endowed Scholarship
Soha Nassef: NOW Scholarship Fund