I decided to major in Spanish and ESL (English as a Second Language) Education, and got the opportunity to study abroad in Valparaíso, Chile, for a semester. There, I studied at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso and on a whim signed up for a brand new extracurricular activity called acrobacia aerea (air acrobatics). I’m so glad I did! We learned to climb up long stretches of fabric that hung from the ceiling in order to do spins, drops and all sorts of tricks like hanging upside down. Months later, when I completed my student teaching requirement in Chicago Public Schools, I found a circus training gym in Chicago that offered classes in aerial silks too!
Teaching has helped me meet many amazing people from all around the world. For example, one summer I worked in the Italian village at Concordia Language Villages, a language immersion camp in northern Minnesota. We slept in cabins with no electricity, so it wasn’t glamorous, but our counselor group had so much fun together! I’m still in contact with some of them. In Chicago, I got to teach English to middle-schoolers who were brand new to the United States, coming from countries like Syria, Pakistan, and Mexico, just to name a few. Some days were hard, but I loved my students and my school. Now, I’m headed to Salto, Uruguay for a year of teaching English at two high schools, a small elementary school and a teacher training college. It was hard to say goodbye to my family and friends for a whole year, but I know that this experience will be well worth it! I can't wait to meet my fellow Fulbrighters, mentor teachers and students.
I’m excited to meet your class!
