Fulbright Reality Czech

Evy Ryan is an alumna of the Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Program. During the past academic year, she taught English at Stojanovo gymnázium in Velehrad. While most Fulbright ETAs are placed in medium-sized or smaller towns by U.S. standards, Velehrad, with just over 1,100 inhabitants, is among the smallest host communities in the program. The school is located within the grounds of a former Cistercian monastery, part of one of the Czech Republic's most significant historical and cultural landmarks. With approximately 270 students, many of whom live in the school's dormitories during the week and return home on weekends, the school offers a close-knit community unlike most educational settings. Evy also lived on the school campus throughout her grant, allowing her to experience daily life in Velehrad far beyond the classroom. Over time, she discovered that the most memorable lessons of her Fulbright year did not come from teaching alone, but from the generosity and accep...

Allison Hafner, Anna Shepard,  Bianca McNeely, Bree Patzke, and Emma Holdren are alumni of the Fulbright ETA Program. During the past academic year, they taught at High School Kaplice, Gymnázium and Nursing School in Vyškov, Gymnázium Lesní čtvrť in Zlín, the Engineering High School and Business Academy in Bruntál, and Gymnázium Sušice. Each host school and town offered a unique experience, but throughout their grants, they all found themselves asking the same question: How can they meaningfully contribute to the relationship between the United States and the Czech Republic and, in doing so, fulfill the Fulbright mission of serving as so-called citizen diplomats?  In mid-April, the five alumni represented the Czech Fulbright Commission at the ETA Enrichment Seminar, Bridging the Atlantic: 250 Years of Diplomacy and Shared Prosperity, in Bratislava. Hosted by the Slovak Fulbright Commission, the three-day seminar brought together ETAs from across the region for thoughtful discu...

Ryan Williamson is a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant. With a BBA in Business Honors, a minor in International Trade and Agriculture, and plans to promote agricultural diplomacy, Ryan applied for the Fulbright ETA Program with impressive mentoring and facilitation experience, but no prior experience living abroad. Given his background, the Agricultural School in Benešov was a natural fit. During his Fulbright year, Ryan not only immersed himself in Czech school life and culture but also represented the Czech Fulbright Commission at the EU–US Young Leaders Seminar in Brussels. There, he engaged with inspiring speakers, exchanged ideas with peers about the challenges facing today's workforce, and explored the opportunities and implications of artificial intelligence. As he reflects on ten months of living in Europe, Ryan says he is more convinced than ever that we all share a responsibility to make the world a better place. For him, that commitment will likely take the form of pu...

Shiloh Turner is an expert on philanthropy. Vivian Chen is a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant. This spring, the two collaborated on an inspiring philanthropy project for students at Gymnázium Roudnice nad Labem. During the current spring semester, Shiloh teaches about the role of philanthropy in the nonprofit sector at the Faculty of Economics and Administration of Masaryk University in Brno. In the United States, she serves as the Principal of Executive Philanthropy Advisors in Cincinnati, Ohio. Vivian helps students at Gymnázium Roudnice nad Labem improve their spoken English and learn more about life in the United States. When Shiloh offered to organize a philanthropy workshop at one of the ETA host schools, Vivian eagerly volunteered her school to participate. Together, they created a one-day deep dive into philanthropy that encouraged students to think about generosity, civic engagement, and the impact individuals can have on their communities. “No one has ever become poor by ...

Amil Khattar is a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant. Armed with an MS in Sports Marketing, the founder’s mindset of someone who has launched two companies, the energy of a social media and marketing wizard, the stage presence of a stand-up comedian, and the endurance of an avid runner, Amil brings an impressive mix of talents wherever he goes. In his Fulbright ETA application, he named Emil Zátopek and Tomáš Baťa as his role models, admiring their discipline, vision, and determination. So when the Tomáš Baťa Business Academy in Zlín applied to host an ETA for the 2025–2026 academic year, it felt like destiny had done the matchmaking itself. Amil's secret to integrating into life in Zlín? Saying “yes” to even the most random invitations - a strategy that has earned him countless local friendships, unforgettable experiences, and probably a few stories worthy of his next stand-up routine.    The mantra I tried to live by during my time here in Zlín, Czech Republic is...

Kaylee O'Brien is an English Teaching  Assistant. This year, she teaches English at Gymnázium Cheb, a college-preparatory high school tucked into a town of 30,000 just a few miles from the German border. Armed with a BA in Philosophy and Political Science, a lifelong love of sports and fitness, and experience teaching everything from English and math to boxing, Kaylee arrived eager to discover what life in her new home might hold. What she didn’t expect was how quickly that search for belonging would take shape in a local gym, where shared routines turned into friendships and a foreign place began to feel, unexpectedly, like her own. I remember the moment last summer when I received my Fulbright placement...I was going to Cheb in the Czech Republic! I was thrilled beyond belief; but shortly, thereafter, that thrill left, I realized I was going halfway around the world, to a country whose native language I did not speak, and to a town where I knew no one. Would I be able to find a p...

Ian Zwaschka is a high school English  teacher. In 2024/2025 he served at the Petr Bezruč Gymnázium in Frýdek-Místek as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant. With a BA in English, Creative Writing, and Cinema, and a year of teaching in South Korea under his belt, he slipped into the rhythm of a Czech college-prep high school as if he’d been there for years. During his grant, Ian energized students with a popular improv club, joined the local folk band Ondrášek on stage, presented at an academic conference, and dove into Czech lessons so he could chat with locals instead of relying on wild gesturing. Somewhere between the mountains, the music, and the everyday wonder of a town of 50,000, Frýdek-Místek stole his heart. So when a job offer from the Vocational High School arrived, Ian didn’t think twice. His Czech adventure was not ready to end. The Czech Republic was once a postcard to me – a saturated image of the Charles Bridge with Prague written in cursive at the bottom. Th...