Creativity Leads to New Connections
As an educator with the Fulbright Classroom Teacher Exchange Program, Nicole, or Nikki, was assigned to teach 280 elementary school children the basics of reading, writing, and math. But limited funding and resources, including a lack of stable internet, no electrical sockets, and no printing capabilities, posed a challenge to helping her students reach their full potential.
But Nikki was not one to give up, and so she looked to other ways of engagement. She paid for printing out of pocket and used a whiteboard for all of her lessons. Nikki also utilized less traditional ways of teaching – like sharing music via a battery-powered CD player and celebrating Mardi Gras with her students with beads her mother had sent. Slowly, she built up a curriculum that fostered soft skills built around hands-on, experiential learning.
On a personal level, working through these challenges helped Nikki to become more patient and resourceful. After her time teaching, Nikki wanted to stay involved and she became a volunteer at the library at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City.
It was at the library that Nikki began to forge connections with other ExchangeAlumni. Over the next few years, she continued to meet others and learn about opportunities through social media and through the Mexico Alumni Association.
In 2021, Nikki connected with Itzel McClaren, a Fulbright ExchangeAlumni from Panama whose work is focused around technology and education. Itzel invited Nikki to become involved with an organization called Hijas de Alkebulan, which mentors and trains Afro-Panamanian and supports them professionally and personally.
Over the next eight months, the program equipped participants with skills to strengthen their networks and communities and acclimate to Panamanian life. It was during this time that Nikki realized the ExchangeAlumni network was never far away: she had a full-circle moment at the end of the program, when she put it together that the leader of the program had completed a SUSI program and the young social worker she mentored over her eight week program had also ended up applying for a SUSI program.
In addition to her volunteer work, Nikki also applied and was selected to receive one of the U.S. Department of State’s AEIF grants. After her Fulbright exchange, Nikki was invited by a fellow ExchangeAlumni to collaborate on a business-English AEIF project in rural Mexico, helping with audio and video production. Through this project, Nikki was able to help provide better access to education and technology in the region.
In looking back on her experience, Nikki noted that it was a drive to volunteer that led her to build on her exchange and establish roots in Mexico.
“Any time I have the chance to volunteer or partner with ExchangeAlumni, I do it,” Nikki said.
Nikki’s experience is a testament to the long-lasting nature of exchange. While Nikki gained valuable skills during her program, it was the connections she made that shaped her path forward. After collaborating with other ExchangeAlumni in South and Central America, Nikki also recently attended Career Connections in Boston, MA in 2022, where she has continued to forge these connections.
“One of the main points of being part of this community is to partner with other ExchangeAlumni,” she said. “A lot of those who have gone through these programs don’t know this community exists and so I love getting to connect alumni with one another.”
Now, as a teacher at a Title I school in rural Mississippi, Nikki has brought the skills she learned during her Fulbright program into her classroom. With many of her students lacking access to the internet, Nikki uses her international exchange skills to support and prepare her students in reaching their full potential.