Democracy and Citizenship, University of Montana, Missoula

Being a Secondary Education English teacher at a Vocational High School has greatly highlighted the pressing need to reform teaching practices and materials to better suit the needs of modern day students. After having done some research about the Fulbright Scholarship and the immense possibilities it offers to educators to redefine educational processes, I knew this would be the stepping stone to achieve this change.

The University of Montana Maureen and Mike Mansfield Center was the host institute where we participated in series of highly engaging, interactive and informative sessions on topics of American Studies Through the Lens of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.They provided us with the opportunity to delve deeper into the structures, the ideas and the fundamental notions that shape the Nation of America and offered us a deeper understanding of the cultural and human topography of this immensely diverse and multicultural country.

The field trips to local schools, such as the Big Sky High School, the Willard Alternative High School, the Salish and Kootenai College in Montana and finally the Metanoia Youth Leadership Academy in Charleston, brought theory into practice and offered us the opportunity to discuss about teaching practices with local teachers, ask for and exchange advice on curriculum creation as well as material adjustment to better suit the needs of our students.

The visits to Yellowstone National Park, Helena State Capitol, Butte, Bozeman, Charleston in South Carolina and finally Washington D.C. with the enormous variety of gigantic icon monuments and memorials, rounded up our experience and exemplified the diverse identity and landscape of the U.S..

Coming to an end, the friendships and bonds created amongst the members of the group, both staff and attendees, will accompany me through the years to come, besides the knowledge acquired. This has certainly been one of the most profound and transformative experiences of my life, allowing me to reset, reboot and redefine my state of mind and consciousness.

Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to be part of this amazing journey!