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Dickinson's long history of Fulbright success continues

by Tony Moore; photo by Dan Loh, video by Joe O’Neill

Dickinson has had considerable success with students earning Fulbrights over the years. In fact, the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs named the college a top Fulbright producer again last year—a year in which four Dickinson students received Fulbright awards—making it the eighth time in the past 10 years Dickinson earned such recognition. 

Now, the success continues, with the program welcoming six members of Dickinson's class of 2022 into the world’s largest and most diverse international educational exchange program as English Teaching Assistants (ETAs):

• Carolina Celedon - Brazil
• Christina Chu - Spain
• Jake DeCarli - Italy
• Sadie Fowler - Italy
• Anna Harvey - Moldova
• Caitlin Lauritzen - Germany

Carolina Celedón, Latin American, Latinx & Caribbean Studies; Wexford, Pennsylvania

Why did you want to be an ETA in Brazil?

I love the country’s culture: from the amazing food to the rich tradition of activism, I was looking for an opportunity to be immersed in Brazilian culture. As far as the teaching component, I have been tutoring in languages since high school, and I continued this pursuit at Dickinson through various positions at the Norman M. Eberly Multilingual Writing Center.

How does this global experience round out your overall Dickinson experience?

My experience at Dickinson has instilled in me the value of taking a multicultural approach. Having taken courses in six different languages during my four years, I have learned through linguistics what it means to have a different outlook on the world, and doing the Fulbright ETA program will only enhance my Dickinson experience. 

How did Dickinson assist you in securing the Fulbright?

Dickinson’s streamlined Fulbright process made the application much less daunting. And outside of the Fulbright committee, everyone I reached out to for recommendations was more than happy to help me out. The support from Dickinson for Fulbright is truly unmatched.

Christina Chu, Educational Studies, Sociology; Hartsdale, New York

Why did you want to be an ETA in Spain?

Assistant teaching in Spain combines Dickinson’s emphasis on global education as I get to teach children and work in a classroom setting in Spain while also learning a new culture, developing and applying my Spanish language knowledge and furthering my career experience in the educational field. 

How does this global experience round out your overall Dickinson experience?

My Dickinson experience has been a culmination of my interests and has allowed me to be involved in various groups on campus. A global experience rounds out my Dickinson experience by pushing my academics and being able to apply what I have learned from my studies here while discovering new interests and cultures in Spain! 

How did Dickinson assist you in securing the Fulbright? 

My Fulbright advisors [Dean and Director of Internships and Fellowships] Amity Fox and [Associate Professor of Educational Studies] Elizabeth Lewis made sure that all of the logistics of my application were correct, while my other professors at Dickinson helped me through letters of recommendation, serving on a faculty Fulbright interview panel and giving me feedback on my Fulbright statements. I am deeply appreciative of the time, effort and energy they poured into my application! 

Jake DiCarli, ​International Studies, Italian Studies; recent recipient of an Outstanding Paper Award at the European Union Center of California's Undergraduate Research Conference; Greencastle, Pennsylvania

Why did you want to be an ETA in Italy? 

I wanted to be an ETA in Italy because of my passion for the Italian language and culture and because of my previous virtual ETA experience for a high school in Bologna, Italy. The students were engaging and eager to learn, and the experience was truly gratifying.

What do you look forward to most about the experience? 

I’ve learned a lot about being an effective cultural ambassador from the Italian Overseas Language Assistants at Dickinson. They opened the Dickinson community to Italian culture in such a positive and engaging way, and I want to have the same effect on my students in Italy and hopefully make them even more interested in American culture.

How does this global experience round out your overall Dickinson experience?

My Dickinson experience has been so positive! I’ve been involved both academically and within the campus community, and a global experience via Fulbright allows me to expand on the global citizenship that I’ve gained from my Dickinson education and will allow me to continue making positive impacts on the communities that I serve.

Sadie Fowler, International Studies, Educational Studies; Quakertown, Pennsylvania

Why did you want to be an ETA in Italy? 

I wanted to be an ETA in Italy because I love the language and culture! I had a virtual internship teaching economics to Italian high school students in Bologna, Italy. During my fall 2021 semester abroad in Bologna, I was even able to meet my students in-person, which was such a great experience, and I cannot wait to make more memories in Italy as an ETA.

What do you look forward to most about the experience? 

I look forward to learning more about the Italian education system and exploring new places in Italy. In 2020 I took an online Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) certificate course. Now I’m looking forward to being able to teach English and be in a classroom with students. I would have never imagined two years ago when completing my certificate course that I would be using it for the Fulbright!

How does this global experience round out your overall Dickinson experience?

I remember when I first got accepted to Dickinson, we got a pack of stickers and one of them said, “Global is my second language.” I think this holds true to my Dickinson experience, as I have been exposed to so many global experiences. I have been able to study abroad and travel to Iceland, and I currently live in the Romance Language House. So I have friends from all over—Germany, Russia, France, Italy, Argentina, Brazil, and many more places.

Anna Harvey, Russian, Italian Studies; Nevada City, California

Why did you want to be an ETA in Moldova?

I knew that I wanted to apply to a Russian-speaking country, and Moldova is a bilingual country where both Russian and Romanian are spoken. Since I also speak two Romance languages (Italian and Spanish), I was excited by the prospect of working in a country where both Russian and a new Romance language were spoken!

What do you look forward to most about the experience?

As a language student, I look forward most to being immersed in Russian and Romanian! I also look forward to working with Ukrainian refugees in Moldova and plan to adjust my supplementary project to reflect the current needs of the community.

How does this global experience round out your overall Dickinson experience?

I grew up in a military family and moved a lot as a child, including overseas, and it was important to me to study somewhere that reflected my personal global values. Nearly every course I have taken has had a global element, and I felt that this approach to education gave me a more thorough and nuanced understanding of the topics I was studying.

Caitlin Lauritzen, Chemistry; Midland, Texas

Why did you want to be an ETA in Germany?

I started taking German during my first year at Dickinson and quickly fell in love with it as a language and a culture. I also have some prior experience with teaching, so I was immediately drawn to the opportunity to teach in Germany. I knew something like Fulbright would also help me figure out what to do with my life after graduation.

What do you look forward to most about the experience?

Fulbright places you in a school, but everything other than that is up to me: finding my own apartment, cooking my own food, planning my own schedule and holiday. My time at Dickinson has been good practice, but I’m eager to finally begin living alone in the “real world.” I’m also excited about the opportunity to teach, and I plan on starting an afterschool English-language theatre program, which I think will be loads of fun.

How did Dickinson assist you in securing the Fulbright?

Right off the bat, I had multiple professors who encouraged me to apply for a Fulbright grant, and not just in the German department. I don’t know that I would have taken this leap without their vote of confidence. Then there’s the Dickinson Fulbright advising team, which has been absolutely invaluable. The application process was long and grueling, but the team was there every step of the way to help me. I couldn’t, and probably wouldn’t, have done it without their expertise.

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Published April 26, 2022