大家好! Hello everyone! My name is Ariona Elkins, but you can just call me Ona (aw-nuh). I was born and raised in Asheville, North Carolina, located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, but now I live and work as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) in Chiayi County, Taiwan. I am 24 years old and I love reading, playing volleyball, and spending time with family, friends, and my cats.
Growing up, I always knew that one day I wanted to travel the world. I participated in a pen pal program in high school with a school in Tamil Nadu, India where I met my pen pal, Aaron, and experienced global cultural exchange for the first time. This experience, paired with my love of world history, pushed me to study abroad twice in college: once in Granada, Spain and once in Tokyo and Kyoto, Japan. When I was in college, I studied political science and international studies, with a focus in Asian studies, which meant that I studied how people interacted globally through money, politics, and culture. I also studied both Mandarin Chinese and Spanish.
After this experience, I knew I wanted to work directly with young people in my next job which is why I am so excited to be teaching English to Taiwanese students and sharing my journey with you all back home!
Want to learn how you could be a Fulbright Scholar like me? The Fulbright Program is the United States government's flagship international exchange program. Fulbrighters foster mutual understanding between the United States and partner nations, share knowledge across communities, and improve lives around the world. Learn more by clicking here!
