Georgia Southern student awarded Fulbright English Teaching Assistant grant

Georgia Southern University Spanish and French major Emily Pressler has been awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) grant for the 2019-2020 academic year. Pressler’s placement will be in Galicia, Spain, and she will assist primarily in English classes for students who speak Spanish, Galician and English.

“I am really excited to start teaching,” said Pressler. “I have had experiences tutoring and volunteering as a teaching assistant, but this will be a real chance to see how to organize and to teach a class, working closely with the teacher.”

Pressler is a senior in the University Honors Program, and she recently completed her honors thesis, “Hispanic Stereotypes in Contemporary Film.” Her coursework in Spanish and French gave her insight into language learning and a variety of approaches for engaging language learners in the classroom.

Pressler is no stranger to embracing new surroundings. Originally from Southold, New York, on Long Island, she went on the Honors Program’s alternative break trip to Costa Rica, and spent summers studying abroad in Spain and France. She is very much looking forward to exploring the Galicia region in Spain’s northwest corner.

“I was hoping to have my Fulbright ETA placement in Galicia because I completed research on the area for one of my classes, and it seems like a beautiful place with a unique culture, including their own regional language,” said Pressler. “Listening to it, I can pick out a few words here and there, but it really is unique from Spanish. I hope that I can teach the students just as much as they can teach me.”

After her time as a Fulbright ETA, Pressler plans to enroll in a master’s program, with the goal of teaching Spanish and possibly French, at the high school level.

Georgia Southern University, a public Carnegie Doctoral/R2 institution founded in 1906, offers 141 degree programs serving nearly 26,500 students through nine colleges on three campuses in Statesboro, Savannah, Hinesville and online instruction. A leader in higher education in southeast Georgia, the University provides a diverse student population with expert faculty, world-class scholarship and hands-on learning opportunities. Georgia Southern creates lifelong learners who serve as responsible scholars, leaders and stewards in their communities. Visit GeorgiaSouthern.edu.