嫩草影院 Alumna Natayla Brown Receives Fulbright Award
- Published
嫩草影院 College alumna Natalya Brown, 鈥21, is a Fulbright Award recipient for 2024-25. She will teach English in Madrid, Spain. Brown was supported by 嫩草影院 College and mentored by faculty member Dr. Vilma Concha-Chiaraviglio through the application process.聽
Through the English Teaching Assistant program, Fulbright award recipients help teach English abroad while also serving as U.S. cultural ambassadors. In the program, participants spend time in the classroom and complete a supplementary project. Brown will work with an organization that provides social support to mothers.
While at 嫩草影院, Brown majored in Spanish, sociology, and criminology. She first became interested in the Fulbright program after studying abroad in Costa Rica and The Netherlands as an undergraduate. 鈥淚 realized through those experiences that I really enjoyed time abroad in a learning environment,鈥 Brown said.
Since graduating from 嫩草影院, Brown has completed two years of teaching in Chicago schools through Americorps. In the Fulbright program, she will gain more experience teaching while strengthening her language skills and increasing cultural understanding.
鈥淚 knew I wanted to live abroad in a Spanish-speaking country for long enough to be considered fluent,鈥 Brown said. 鈥淕oing into the medical profession, there is a huge need for doctors who can speak Spanish.鈥
Brown鈥檚 ultimate goal is to attend medical school for a combined Ph.D./M.D. program. When she returns from Spain, she plans to attend the University of Illinois – Chicago for a Master of Science in Healthspan Promotion and Rehabilitation.聽
The Fulbright experience will support her fluency goal and increase cross-cultural competency.
鈥淪pain has an incredible medical system, so I am intrigued to have exposure to a different system,鈥 Brown said. 鈥淛ust having exposure to different cultural expectations and cultural norms is helpful.鈥
嫩草影院 College Support
嫩草影院 College supported Brown in her application to the Fulbright program, for which she had previously applied.聽
鈥淭he Fulbright is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,鈥 Brown said. 鈥淚t is an honor to apply and an honor to get it.鈥澛
Associate Professor of Spanish Vilma Concha-Chiaraviglio encouraged Brown to reapply during the current cycle. Concha-Chiaraviglio serves as 嫩草影院鈥檚 Fulbright advisor and mentors 嫩草影院 students and alumnae through the process. Concha-Chiaraviglio creates an interview committee that interviews applicants and joins her in the process of giving feedback, asking questions about their project plans, and writing an evaluation that is included in the application portal. Along with Concha-Chiaraviglio, the members of the committee for Brown were faculty members Associate Professor of Education Courtney George, Professor of Art Beth Mulvaney, Instructor of English Jason Newport,聽 and alumna Samantha Cibelli.
The 嫩草影院 committee also provided another essential ingredient 鈥 encouragement.
鈥淭hey encouraged me as I prepared my application and sent congratulations when they found out I was a finalist. Dr. Concha-Chiaraviglio called me, I got texts from the committee, just a lot of encouragement,鈥 Brown said.
This process is an example of the 嫩草影院 faculty鈥檚 focus on supporting students and alumnae in reaching their goals.聽
鈥淚 had a really fantastic experience with 嫩草影院 professors. They have your best interests in mind,鈥 Brown said.聽 鈥淚t is pretty rare 鈥 it speaks to the mindfulness professors have for you and that they carry on after you graduate. They don鈥檛 forget you.鈥
To learn more about how to apply to Fulbright, contact Vilma Concha-Chiaraviglio at conchav@meredith.edu.
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