Gustavus Adolphus College senior Carolyn Del Vecchio was recently named a winner of the Fulbright English Teacher Assistant (ETA) grant and will teach in Vietnam during the 2017-2018 academic year.
Fulbright’s ETA program places recent college graduates and young professionals as English teaching assistants in primary and secondary schools or universities overseas. ETA participants improve foreign students’ English language abilities and knowledge of the United States while increasing the U.S. students’ own language skills and knowledge of the host country.
Carolyn Del Vecchio
A political science major who hails from Bismarck, N.D., Del Vecchio’s interest in the opportunity springs from her study away experience in Tanzania last spring. “I didn’t realize what it meant to be an American until I studied abroad,” Del Vecchio said. “Basically all of my identities were challenged when I went somewhere where I looked different and was in a different environment.”
At Gustavus, Del Vecchio has been involved as a Gustie Greeter orientation leader, member of the Handbell Choir, on the Building Bridges committee, and through Gustavus Women in Leadership.
“Carolyn is one of the most altruistic and authentic people I’ve ever worked with,” Gustavus Director of Campus Activities Andrea Junso said. “There is a sincere depth to her caring that is apparent in everything that she does, and she’ll be a tremendous representative of the United States and Gustavus next year.”
“I am applying for the Fulbright because I find joyful fulfillment in being and education and pushing my students to think crucially and seek broader connections while affirming their potential,” Del Vecchio wrote in her application essay. “I am specifically drawn to Vietnam for its political history that led to a prominent position in the world market with a rapidly advancing economy. I’m interested in how Vietnam’s relatively young population has been influenced by Western culture and how that intertwines with the country’s ancient history and traditions.”
After returning to the United States, Del Vecchio hopes to work in state government before continuing her education in graduate school. Eventually, she hopes to serve in the U.S. Foreign Service before teaching in a higher education setting.
For more information about the Gustavus Fellowships Office and the support it gives to students, please visit the fellowship website.
The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is the largest U.S. exchange program offering opportunities for students and young professionals to undertake international graduate study, advanced research, university teaching, and primary and secondary school teaching worldwide. The program currently awards approximately 1,900 grants annually in all fields of study, and operates in more than 140 countries worldwide
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Media Contact: Director of Media Relations and Internal Communication Luc Hatlestad
luch@gustavus.edu
507-933-7510