Office of Merit Scholarships, Fellowships & Awards (OMSFA)

As I near the completion of my undergraduate studies at UW–Seattle, I am honored to be considered for the Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in Spain. Raised in a bilingual English–Spanish household, I learned early on how language not only serves as a form of communication but as an opportunity to foster meaningful connections. My interest in language learning and teaching grew during my time as an exchange student at the University of Anáhuac in Querétaro, México where I volunteered as a conversational tutor for young adult English language learners. Working with fellow college students who, like me, were eager to develop their language skills solidified my desire to pursue a career in education. Prior to transferring to UW in 2024, I attended Everett Community College, where I earned an Associate in Business and served as Vice President of Scholarship for the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. In this role, I chaired our Honors in Action project, leading a year-long initiative during the pandemic that provided essential care packages to senior war veterans in collaboration with Heroes’ Café in Lynwood, Washington. Alongside these leadership experiences, I have volunteered with the University of Washington’s Short Term English Program (STEP) and Everett Community College’s Volunteer Literacy Program, supporting English learners with diverse goals, proficiency levels, and educational backgrounds. At STEP, I helped international students practice conversational English and through EvCC’s Volunteer Literacy Program serving refugees and immigrants, I worked with adult learners to develop everyday communication, academic, and digital literacy skills. These experiences led me to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in linguistics and ultimately motivated me to apply for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program.