Two graduates were awarded Fulbright English Teaching Assistantships in spring 2016. Ayeli Ali ’16 traveled to Sarawak, Malaysia, in January and is teaching at a public secondary school there until November when she will return to the U.S., hoping to work in international health and development before pursuing a master’s degree. She said she has learned that being a teacher requires also being a student and learning about those around her. Sarawak, on the island of Borneo, includes mostly indigenous groups, she said, and she is pictured in traditional clothing for a harvest festival. She has been happy to learn about the indigenous groups by talking with her students and accepting dinner invitations. Most in the town have never encountered an American so she also is sharing U.S. culture as she absorbs theirs. Cameron Kubacki ’16 is just completing a rewarding experience in Niedersachsen, Germany, where he teaches students in grades 5 through 12 in the small town of Gronau Leine. He said he enjoys every classroom and field trip experience, though he finds the small town a bit isolating. However, he has been able to visit other parts of Germany— including 15 weekend trips to Berlin. He returns to the U.S. this summer and will prepare for graduate study in supply chain management.
This spring, Brittany Dimock ’17, a magna cum laude graduate majoring in East Asian languages and cultures, was awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in Malaysia and has yet to begin her adventures.