Wherever I find myself later this year, next year, or more down the road, I will remember this story and the many my year as a USTA has provided.
I have been able to volunteer with refugees from around the world through several organizations ... I am grateful that serving as a US teaching assistant in Austria has made this experience possible.
Without the Fulbright Program, I never would have ended up applying to the Central European University. The friendships and memories I made during my time with Fulbright Austria will always be some of the sweetest that I have.
As is often the case with choir, everyone was very friendly and did their best to make me feel welcome. Being a part of the choir, of course, helped me learn the dialect better; but in a much more important way, it made me feel like I was a part of the community.
This experience helped me grow an insane amount, and I am forever thankful for Fulbright Austria bringing me a new family—even if they’re based 4,300 miles from home.
One of my favorite classes I ever taught as a USTA was a joint lesson I invited the British TA in town to come and do with me in my English Freiwahl class on British vs. American English.
Applying to Fulbright Austria was certainly one of the best decisions I made in college. I learned so much from different cultures and made lifelong friends and great memories! If given the chance, I would recommend visiting Austria. Stellung, bereit, los!
I still think of my time in Austria as the most important time in my life. The friends I met while in Austria are some of my strongest relationships. And thank goodness for my skills in public speaking that I cultivated in Austria!
The lessons I learned from Fulbright Austria benefit not only me, but also the education of US students through my teaching.
Moving to Villach was extremely important in shaping who I am today.
"As Mark Twain said, 'Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness…' Surely, the best way that we can work to break down stereotypes and mutual misunderstandings is through living abroad, experiencing other ways of life, and directly interacting with people whose backgrounds and experiences differ from our own. This is one of the reasons that the Fulbright Program is so important."
"I have made invaluable connections through the Fulbright Program that have affected my life positively, sometimes in unexpected ways."
"Not only did my experience as a USTA allow me to hone my skills as an educator and learn more about the Austrian educational system, it also gave me a platform to expand my international education knowledge base, which I continue to draw on every day as one of the international admissions officers for Bennington College."
"...the people I met helped open my mind to examine challenges differently and to appreciate different perspectives, not only just to talk, but also how to meaningfully listen."
"This opportunity changed my life in a unique, valuable and positive way."
"...I delighted in the opportunity to be a cultural ambassador in Vienna as I shared information about the United States with my high-school aged Austrian students."
"I have no doubt that participating in the Austrian-American Fulbright Commission's US Teaching Assistantship Program gave me an enormous leg-up in the job search when I returned to the US, having gained international work experience through a highly reputable and respected program."
"It is easy to overlook the necessity of a program like the Fulbright whose effects are not always easily quantifiable in numbers, output or economically. But after my experiences as a grantee there is absolutely no question of the grave importance of the Fulbright program."
"My time in Austria was exceptional and I have returned every year..."
"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."
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