Oertel, a psychology major with a Spanish minor, will be teaching in the Valencia region of Spain from September 2009 to June 2010. Oertel’s preparation for this opportunity included Spanish classes on campus, a 2008 JanTerm in Costa Rica, and the spring 2008 semester studying abroad in Chile. “Both of my study abroad experiences were helpful in the essays and Fulbright application process because I could speak sincerely about my interest in learning about other cultures,” she said. 

Kuiper, a religion major with a Spanish minor, will follow in the footsteps of her older sister, Nicole Kupier, a 2000 graduate of Austin College,’00) through the Fulbright Program. “My sister did a Fulbright research fellowship to Spain after she graduated, so that’s how I initially found out about the program,” Kupier said.  

She will spend September 2009 through June 2010 as an English teaching assistant in Madrid, Spain. Kupier said her Spanish minor, the Austin College Teacher Program, and experiences studying abroad, such as a semester in Mexico City, Mexico, in high school and teaching English in El Salvador during the 2007 summer through an Austin College Lilly grant have prepared her for this opportunity. She plans to return to the U.S., obtain bilingual certification, and become an elementary teacher. 

For more information about the Fulbright Program, please visit www.fulbrightonline.org. 

Austin College is a leading national independent liberal arts college located north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas. Founded in 1849, making it the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original charter and name, the college is related by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA). Recognized nationally for academic excellence in the areas of international education, pre-professional training, and leadership studies, Austin College is one of 40 schools profiled in Loren Pope’s influential book Colleges that Change Lives.