Fulbright Reality Czech

Jedete přes léto do Spojených států? Pak se vám nabízí možnost navštívit kampusy amerických univerzit. Většina vysokých škol totiž nabízí časté a pravidelné oficiální prohlídky. Víc o tom, co to "campus tour" je, jak je organizovaná a jak ji zařídit, si můžete přečíst v článku našeho letního amerického stážisty Dallase Negaarda, který nejenže mnoho prohlídek škol absolvoval, když si vybíral vysokou, ale sám po své domovské škole Hampden-Sydney College návštěvníky prováděl.  To most students around the world, the college application process can seem grueling and endless. At least that’s how it felt for me when I went through it. The difficulty of the process is significantly heightened for students who are trying to study abroad. On top of having to take the SAT, ACT, TOEFL, etc, students have to then figure out where it is they would like to apply and possibly attend. However, for international students and especially those in the Czech Republic, the next part of the proce...

By Maureen Heydt   This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity. Jack Hellerstedt Jack Hellerstedt, a postdoctoral researcher at Monash University by way of the University of Maryland, is serving this year as a U.S. Fulbright Scholar to the Institute of Physics at the Czech Academy of Science in Prague. Jack is working in a lab as part of the Jelinek Group, where he conducts research related to the photographing of molecules. Close to the end of his grant year now, Jack discusses his research, which has led him to work across three continents, as well as what his research entails, and what his Fulbright experiences in Prague have been like.   -------------------------------------- Fast Facts ------------ --------- ------------------- U.S. Position: Postdoctoral Researcher, Faculty of Science, Monash University, Australia Czech Affiliation: Institute of Physics, Czech Academy of Science, Prague Project: Two-Dimensional Quantum Spin Liquids in Organom...

By Maureen Heydt This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity. Megan Rodawold Megan Rodawold is a 23 year-old American, serving this year as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant to the Czech Republic. Megan, a graduate of Grand Valley State University, is spending the year living in the small Czech town of Trutnov, located in the Eastern Bohemia region. For her Fulbright grant, Megan is actually serving as an ETA to two secondary schools this year! Read below to find out how she manages teaching at two schools, and why she loves living in the Czech Republic as a Fulbrighter. -------------------------------------- Fast Facts ------------ --------- ------------------- Hometown: Aurora, Illinois Education: Grand Valley State University, Writing/International Relations, Applied Linguistics School in Czech Republic: OŠ zdravotnická a Střední zdravotnická, Trutnov, and Obchodní akademie, Trutnov Age: 23 Favorite Czech word: sníh (snow) Favorite quote: “T...

By Maureen Heydt This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity. Thomas Lepke Thomas Lepke is serving this year as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant to a secondary school located in the small town of Velešín, Czech Republic. Velešín, population 4,000, is now home to Thomas and his wife Geena, as they work to integrate into their community by building relationships that they hope will last a lifetime. Thomas, an alum of the prestigious Teach for America program, is teaching English at a technical school, where he also runs an English Club. His club has coordinated events with the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Embassy in Prague, including facilitating an Iraqi youth dialogue, where students in both the Czech Republic and Iraq were able to communicate with each other via Skype. Read below to find out more about what living in a small, southern Bohemian town for a year has been like for Thomas and his wife.   -------------------------------------- Fast Fac...

By Maureen Heydt This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.   Sarah Leupen Dr. Sarah Leupen, a senior lecturer from the University of Maryland Baltimore County, is serving this year as a U.S. Fulbright Scholar to Charles University, Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen. Dr. Leupen was trained both as a neuroscientist and as a physiologist, and teaches courses on physiology, nutrition, and reproduction. She is working this year at the Charles University medical school in Pilsen, teaching courses, and also offering faculty development workshops at both the Pilsen and Prague Charles University campuses, as well as at the University of West Bohemia, also in Pilsen. Read below to find out what it’s like teaching at a medical school in a foreign country, what Dr. Leupen loves about living in Pilsen, and why she is passionate about the Fulbright Program. -------------------------------------- Fast Facts ------------ --------- ------------------- U.S. Position: Senior...

By Maureen Heydt This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity. Becky Schwartz If you look at a map of the Czech Republic, you can see an interestingly shaped deviation along the western Czech border, where the line breaks and forms a small pocket. This pocket area constitutes the most western reaching area of the Czech Republic, and is surrounded on three sides by Germany. And here within lies the border town of Aš, home for one year to Becky Schwartz, Fulbright English Teaching Assistant to the Czech Republic. Becky, a music aficionado, spends her time teaching eight different grades in the local gymnazium, and experiencing an unexpected multiculturalism in this crossroads town. Read below to find out more about Becky, and her unique experiences living in a Czech border town. -------------------------------------- Fast Facts ------------ --------- ------------------- Hometown: West Hartford, Connecticut College, Major/Minor: Bates College, American Cultural St...

By Maureen Heydt This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity. Kelley Garland Kelley Garland hails from Wantagh, New York, and is spending the 2016-2017 school year serving as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant to the Czech Republic, in the northeastern town of Nová Paka. In a town of about 8,000 people, Kelley devotes her time to teaching English in the local high school, while also involving herself in creating cross-cultural connections between herself and her students, colleagues, neighbors, and community. Read below to find out more about Kelley, a former class president of her college, as she speaks about her experiences living in a small Czech town, and why she considers international education and exchanges to be so important.   -------------------------------------- Fast Facts ------------ --------- ------------------- Hometown: Wantagh, New York College, Major/Minor: Providence College, Global Studies/Business Studies, French, Sociology Scho...