AZUSA, Calif. — Each year, hundreds of students compete for the prestigious Fulbright Scholarship, but only a select few receive the award. This year, recent Azusa Pacific University graduate and Long Beach, Calif. resident Sarah Breslin was one of four APU students to receive a Fulbright Award.
Breslin will graduated from APU July 30 with a B.A. in English and Philosophy. She will be working as an English Teaching Assistant at Karamanoğlu Mehmetbey University in Turkey for nine months beginning in September.
"I pretty excited about everything regarding Fulbright right now! If I had to pick one, I think I am most excited about experiencing the Turkish culture and getting to know its people first hand," Breslin said. "I've been reading about Turkey for almost a year now, so I am so excited to finally get to meet the students and impact and be impacted through those relationships."
Breslin joins 14 APU alumni who have studied abroad with a Fulbright Grant, who have taught in countries like, Bangladesh, Belgium, China, Indonesia, Korea, Macau, Romania, Slovakia, Tunisia, and Turkey. Most received English Teaching Assistant (ETA) scholarships or research and study grants to Asian countries, the experience is one that is valuable and has a great impact on the participants.
"The Fulbright award offers students a wonderful opportunity to live and study abroad for an academic year and be immersed in another culture. They bring back many experiences that prepare them for further graduate study or employment and which enable them to be a bridge between the American culture and their host country," said Diane Guido, Ph.D., vice provost for undergraduate programs.
The ETA program places U.S. students as English teaching assistants in schools or universities overseas, serving two purposes: improving foreign students’ English language abilities and knowledge of the United States and increasing the Fulbright student's understanding of the host country’s culture and language.
The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and offers scholarship opportunities for recent graduates, postgraduate candidates, and developing professionals and artists to conduct career-launching study and research abroad. Each year, Fulbright offers more than 1,200 American grantees the ability to study abroad. Established in 1946, the Fulbright Program aims to increase mutual understanding between the peoples of the United States and other countries, through the exchange of persons, knowledge and skills.
