As a teacher assistant my year abroad was indescribable. I traveled to 8 countries in 9 months and feel as if I left a family and second life in Austria. Currently I am a teacher, teaching AP human geography with stories and knowledge about cultures I would have never explored in my own if it had not been for Fulbright. This program is respected in professional settings, taught me perseverance, a sense of exploration and allowed me to make lifelong friends. I want this opportunity for all of my students as I told them it was life changing. Learning foreign languages opens doors for networking and value in our globalized world. Thank you Fulbright. You changed my life.

Lauren Kovacs is a graduate of the Grand Valley State University with a degree in history. She taught studied at the "Ingeborg Bachmann" BG and BRG as a US Teaching Assistant in 2008–09.