Fulbright Scholarships
Robin Tieperman '15
English Teaching Assistantship Fulbright Scholarship; Mexico
The education and Spanish major didn't want her post-grad plans to resemble a ‘plan’ at all; in fact, she’d trade it all in for a life-changing experience. It’s what inspired her to apply for an English Teaching Assistantship Fulbright Scholarship in Mexico, and her passion for forming relationships across cultures is what pushed Tieperman and her application over the edge to become the 12th Fulbright scholar from ɫ in the past 15 years. While she'll be teaching English, she believes she’ll be getting an education of her own. “When you get to know the people of another culture, you’re not just knowing a place. You’re knowing the heart and soul of a place,” says Tieperman, originally from Central Bucks County. “Mexico is our southern neighbor, and I think this is a really unique way to learn about each others’ cultures outside of what you hear on the news.”
“It’s been interesting watching her transformation from a creative, but unsure freshman, to someone who is surprised and delighted by how well received she was by her students during her student teaching,” says Erica Yozell, associate professor of Spanish and chair of the Modern Languages & Literatures department. Yozell was one of several faculty mentors who helped guide Tieperman throughout her time at ɫ, including with her Fulbright application. “With her degree of engagement, care and empathy, I think students anywhere will respond to her. Her passion for literature and language will encourage her students to consider those areas with more interest and open-mindedness.”
Rianne Stowell '13
Research Fulbright Scholarship; University of Seville, Spain
Stowel was a member of the class of 2013, earning bachelor's degrees in neuroscience and Spanish. Thanks to her Fulbright scholarship, she spent nine month using genetically modified mice to study how multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune diseases progress before beginning her graduate work at the University of Rochester. This was Stowell's second stay in Seville—she spent a semester taking classes and interning at the university through ɫ's study abroad program.
"With my strong foundation in (Spanish and science), I had the confidence to pursue an internship while studying abroad and this internship led me down the path of applying for a Fulbright," says the Coopersburg native. "I have always loved Spanish and having amazing professors who were willing to help me work the major around my science courses was vital to my success. The intellectual challenge provided by my two majors has driven me to be more of a scholar and consider the breadth of possibilities available to someone with a diverse skill set."
Jamie Thierolf '12
English Teaching Assistantship Fulbright Scholarship; Madrid
Theirolf spend nine months as a teacher’s assistant in an English classroom in a bilingual high school in Madrid, Spain. Thierolf first considered the possibility of applying for a Fulbright when she was a sophomore. The nearly month-long process then led to several months of waiting. “I heard in January that I was recommended by the United States and then it took another four months to be accepted by Spain,” she says.
Much of her college career had seemingly been spent preparing for this day—as a Spanish/Elementary Education Certification major and a history minor.
“Jamie was an extraordinarily strong student,” says Nilsa Lasso-von Lang, associate professor of Spanish, who taught Thierolf in several courses. “She studied abroad in Chile, and had no problems adjusting to a different culture, and she was always responsible, organized, energetic and enthusiastic.”
Thierolf previously completed her Honors project last fall, titled Best Teaching Strategies for Spanish-Speaking English Language Learners (ELLs). In her thesis, she condensed the different programs available for ELLs, and lists general strategies general education teachers can use in their own classroom.