Julia Illarramendi, a graduate of the University of Navarre, receives a Fulbright scholarship to teach Spanish in the United States.
He will teach teaching for 10 months at the University of Scranton (Pennsylvania).
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FotoCedida/JuliaIllarramendi
22 | 07 | 2021
The Fulbright Commission in Spain has granted a scholarship to Julia Illarramendi, a graduate in Philology Hispánica ('18) from the University of Navarra, to teach Spanish in the United States. Master's Degree en teaching de Español como language Extranjera ( '20) by the academic centre and Master's Degree university at academic staff, next August she will start teaching teaching at the University of Scranton (Pennsylvania).
"This is a very valuable opportunity for my professional development and staff", says the Navarre native, who has been awarded a scholarship along with 11 other Spaniards. In a context marked by Covid-19, where the mobility has been limited and many academic and professional plans have been frustrated, she says that, when she received confirmation of the award of the scholarship, "the first thing I felt was relief": "In recent months, due to the pandemic, the possibilities of working abroad have been greatly reduced and the future is so uncertain that having the luck to do what you want is a great motivation". He also explains that this experience "goes beyond living and working in the United States, as we participate in various sessions at training before starting scholarship and the Fulbright Commission accompanies us throughout the process to make the most of this opportunity". In addition to teaching Spanish, during her stay in Scranton she will be working in the World Languages and Cultures Department (department ), together with six other teachers of German, Italian, Arabic, French, Japanese and Spanish. educational "I also have to take two courses at semester to get to know the American system from the student's perspective," she adds.
language Since its launch in the 2017-18 academic year, 100% of students who have taken the Master's Degree in teaching of Spanish as a Foreign Language (MELE) at high school of language and Spanish Culture (ILCE) are working or extending their training. Many choose the United States as an academic or professional destination; a country where Spanish, according to data from 2020 of high school Cervantes, is the language most studied language at all levels of teaching, with 8 million students. In this sense, Illarramendi explains that "the experience and training of the ILCE teachers financial aid help you to understand the system educational of other countries, especially the United States, and enable you to work and study there".
Fulbright grants have been present in Spain since 1958 and have been a tool core topic in the strengthening of relations between the United States and our country. More than 5,600 Spaniards and around 3,500 Americans have benefited from a Fulbright scholarship , awarded by the Spain-US Binational Commission, co-chaired by senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation and the US Embassy in Madrid. Among the Spanish grantees, 6 have been awarded the award Prince of Asturias and 18 have won National Prizes in research, Economics, history, literature and plastic arts.