Miami Alum Earn Fulbright Awards, Teach Abroad
Three Posse Miami Alumni are among this year’s recipients of Fulbright Awards.
The Fulbright program aims to provide recipients with an “opportunity to exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to challenges facing our communities and our world,” according to its website. Fulbrighters pursue graduate study, conduct research, or, as in the case of Posse Miami’s new recipients, teach English abroad.
Tan Abascal, a recent graduate of Davidson College, will be traveling to Erzurum, Turkey, this fall and looks forward to building on his communication skills and cultural fluency while serving the community. His placement hits close to home: his mother is from Turkey. Among his experiences in Erzurum, Tan hopes to better understand the Turkish education system. After his Fulbright experience, he plans on applying to medical school.
“The Posse Foundation believed in me and gave me the opportunity to have an impactful four years that will serve as the foundation for my professional aspirations."
Davidson Alum Tan Abascal.
“The Posse Foundation believed in me and gave me the opportunity to have an impactful four years that will serve as the foundation for my professional aspirations,” says Tan.
Kalida Gawon is a graduating Scholar from Franklin & Marshall College. She has earned the Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Award (ETA) in Taiwan. Kalida first took an interest in Taiwan when she learned about efforts the country was undertaking to preserve indigenous culture and strengthen students’ performance through the outdoors.
“I hope to foster a safe learning environment where students can engage their interests while learning English,” says Kalida. “I believe that cultural immersion not only helps me serve a more diverse population, but it is also a vehicle for deeper self-realization.”
After Taiwan, Kalida plans to continue mentoring high school students through their college and scholarship application process. Kalida hopes to pursue graduate education with the goal of advancing global health education and research.
Nathalie Martinez, a graduating Scholar from Hamilton College, will be teaching English to Italian secondary school students in Southern Italy for the 2023-2024 academic year. While there, she plans to devote her time to assisting refugee and immigrant populations through organizations that aim to help people adjust to life in a new country.
After her Fulbright experience, Nathalie intends to return to the United States and pursue a master’s degree in education. In the long term, she hopes to settle down in Italy and build a career as an educator.
