Transfixed, I stared at the headlines on my monitor. Within hours of the 2016 Brussels bombings, media outlets and pundits declared Belgium a jihadist haven. Geographically distant, Belgium was—and is—easy for many Americans to view through the lens of terrorism. But as I delved deeper into Belgium’s history, my fascination with the country and the tension between its politically and linguistically distinct regions of French Wallonia and Dutch Flanders only grew. With a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant award, I will teach English, a politically neutral language in Belgium, to Belgian college students. I will communicate across linguistic and personal barriers, immerse myself in Belgian culture, and learn to advocate for Belgian-American cooperation on terrorism and many more issues in my future career as a lawyer focused on international relations and national security. The headquartering of NATO and key EU institutions in Brussels makes clear the vital role of
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I will draw on my experience as both a student and teacher to become an engaging and supportive English instructor. As an undergraduate teaching assistant in management and American politics at Washington University, I tailor my teaching to each student’s personal strengths, learning habits, and goals. For example, some of my management students struggled with supply and demand, some with analytical writing, and others with dense readings. In response, I met individually with them to develop strategies for success. I also rely on varied teaching methods, including group exercises, videos, and anecdotes. Seeing words and phrases in an everyday context helps language learners to think and write like natives. Therefore, I will use newspapers to foster language skills as well as knowledge around American governmental and political systems, topics I have studied extensively. There is nothing more gratifying than giving every student the tools to
I will draw on my experience as both a student and teacher to become an engaging and supportive English instructor. As an undergraduate teaching assistant in management and American politics at Washington University, I tailor my teaching to each student’s personal strengths, learning habits, and goals. For example, some of my management students struggled with supply and demand, some with analytical writing, and others with dense readings. In response, I met individually with them to develop strategies for success. I also rely on varied teaching methods, including group exercises, videos, and anecdotes. Seeing words and phrases in an everyday context helps language learners to think and write like natives. Therefore, I will use newspapers to foster language skills as well as knowledge around American governmental and political systems, topics I have studied extensively. There is nothing more gratifying than giving every student the tools to