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TU Student Awarded Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship!

Towson University is proud to announce that senior Katie Cowan was selected to serve as a Fulbright U.S. Student Program English Teaching Assistant (ETA) for the 2020/21 cycle in the Czech Republic! Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the Fulbright U.S. Student Program provides funding for individually designed study/research projects and English Teaching Assistant Programs outside the U.S. The program operates in more than 140 countries worldwide and awards grants in nearly all fields and disciplines. Each year, approximately 1,800 Americans receive support from the U.S. Student Program.

During their grants, Fulbright English Teaching Assistants meet, work, live with and learn from the people of the host country, sharing daily experiences.  The program facilitates cultural exchange through direct interaction on an individual basis in the classroom, field, home, and in routine tasks, allowing the grantee to gain an appreciation of others’ viewpoints and beliefs, the way they do things, and the way they think. Through engagement in the community, the individual will interact with their hosts on a one-to-one basis in an atmosphere of openness, academic integrity, and intellectual freedom, thereby promoting mutual understanding.

We know Katie will be an outstanding representative for TU and Fulbright. This spring, she graduates with her degree in Elementary Education and minor in music. Katie is well prepared to serve as an ETA in the Czech Republic thanks to working as a student intern, math tutor, and substitute teacher. Katie brings a wealth of other experiences to the classroom including her work as a children’s performer, camp director, and musician. Dr. Colleen Ebacher was her Fulbright campus advisor.

Eleven TU students and recent graduates worked closely with the TU Fulbright campus advisors to apply for the 2020-21 application cycle. Four applicants were selected as semifinalist and Katie was the first student to be notified of her award.

Windsidoma (Ida) Djigumide is a semifinalist for the English Teaching Assistantship grant in Benin. Ida graduated in spring 2019 with her master’s degree from TU’s Women and Gender Studies program focusing on women, health and sexuality. She began learning about Benin as an undergraduate student when she represented Benin as part of the Model United Nations. Ida worked with Fulbright campus advisor Professor Diane Luchese to prepare her application.

Jaimie Kittle is a semi-finalist for the Open Study/Research Grant in Ghana. Jaimie  graduated from TU with her master’s degree in Biology last summer. She has several grants and shows consistent dedication to researching tortoise conservation, which she hopes to continue in Ghana. Jaimie worked closely with Professor Sonali Raje throughout the application process.

TU senior Sophia Thrappas is a semifinalist for the ETA grant in Spain. Sophia is pursuing a double major in Health Education and Promotion with a focus on community health and Foreign Languages with a Spanish concentration. She studied abroad in Guatemala in 2017 and in Ecuador in 2018. Sophia is a member of the Honors College and worked closely with Ms. Katie Villamar to prepare her application.

The TU Fulbright U.S. Student Program Committee members and the entire campus community congratulate Katie and wish Ida, Jaimie, and Sophia the best of luck as they await their award notifications from Fulbright.

Are you interested in cultural exchange, community engagement, and making a difference in the world? Visit our website to learn more about the Fulbright U.S. Student Program today!

Categorised in: General

This post was written by Villamar, Katherine H.