Zander graduated cum laude from Dartmouth College in June 2026 with a major in classical languages and literature and a minor in education. He closely studied Latin and Ancient Greek texts, spurring his interest in Greek culture, both ancient and modern. To further these studies, he spent 11 weeks on a foreign study program through the Dartmouth Classics Department in Greece, studying history, mythology, and archaeology. He has also grown a passion for teaching from a young age. Zander began his teaching journey as a swim coach, providing lessons in technique and teamwork for kids 2-17. As a peer tutor and learning fellow at Dartmouth, he has taught Latin and Greek alongside brilliant professors, working with Classics majors and student athletes alike. Zander gains the greatest enjoyment from seeing the learning process happening–not just the “eureka” moment but the growth that emerges when students understand that their effort can translate to success. He has also led several clubs including his acapella group the Brovertones, where he built strong communities and upheld tradition. In his time, the group ran three strenuous audition processes, performed countless shows, went on yearly tours, and produced an EP and two full length albums. On this Fulbright, Zander plans to combine his deep interest in Greece with his love of teaching. He will bring a love of music, food, and fun along with him and wants to build relationships that last far beyond this year at Athens College.

Alexandria Zuehlke recently graduated from Georgetown University with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Studio Art. During her time at Georgetown, she held several leadership roles at Students of Georgetown, Inc. (“The Corp”), the nation’s largest entirely student-run nonprofit organization, serving as Vice President of Accounting while also working as a barista at one of the organization’s campus coffee shops. As a member of the Laidlaw Undergraduate Leadership and Research Program, Alex designed and led a funded research project and completed a leadership-in-action placement at A Better Chicago, a nonprofit focused on expanding educational opportunities for students on Chicago’s South and West Sides. She also spent a semester studying abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark. Outside of class, Alex worked at a children's art school, where she planned lessons and taught classes for kids. In her free time, she enjoys oil painting, reading, and swimming. Alex looks forward to joining the Athens College community, sharing her enthusiasm for learning, and experiencing life in Greece!

In 2026, Chris graduated from Dartmouth College with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and History. During his time at Dartmouth, he involved himself broadly. Primarily, he loved facilitating and giving to the community, serving as a crew captain for Dartmouth’s outdoor pre-orientation programming, running operations for Camp Kesem, a fully funded sleepaway camp for children of parents affected by cancer, and working as a SAPA. Academically, he was a member of the Phi Alpha Theta history honors society, took on a fellowship with the Dartmouth endowment, served as a teaching fellow and group tutor for microeconomics, and conducted research building Dartmouth’s first-ever AI grading-influenced classroom for public finance and public policy. Often involved with media, he spent time as part of The Dartmouth newspaper, on the editorial board of The Stonefence Review, on air with Dartmouth College Radio, and ran a freelance photography business. Chris is honored and excited for the opportunity to bring his love for facilitating community and encouraging curiosity in a new context this year as a Fulbright Fellow at Athens College-HAEF.

Claire graduated from the University of Iowa in the fall of 2023 with a Bachelor of Arts in Classical Studies, with an emphasis on ancient Greek culture and archaeology. During her time at Iowa, Claire was a member of the cross country and track team, competing at the NCAA Division I level. Claire was also involved in the campus organization Athletes In Action as a student leader for Christian athletes looking to grow in their faith at Iowa and the Iowa Track and Field group Speak Your Truth as a member of the education committee, which aimed to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion among the athletic department of the University of Iowa. Claire has studied abroad twice in Greece; her first study abroad experience in 2022 focused on creative writing and drawing inspiration from the mythology and culture of ancient and modern Greece, while her second study abroad experience in 2024 focused on the archaeology, history, and culture of Ancient Greece viewed from the modern perspective, solidifying her passion to pursue archaeological and Classical studies at the graduate level and beyond. During the summer of 2024, Claire had the opportunity to volunteer as an English teacher on the island of Crete, working with elementary students to improve their English speaking and writing skills, providing valuable experience working in a cross-cultural environment. In the fall of 2024, Claire began attending Lipscomb University in Nashville, TN and received her Master of Arts in Archaeological and Biblical studies in the spring of 2026 under Lipscomb’s Lanier Center for Archaeology (LCA). While at Lipscomb, Claire’s research interests focused on the Second Temple-Roman Periods. Claire acted as an intern for the LCA during the fall of 2025, helping to conduct research, cataloguing, and conservation for archaeological artifacts housed in the LCA’s museum and material culture collection. Claire is excited to join Athens College for the 2026-2027 school year as a Fulbright Fellow and strengthen her skills as an educator.

Felicity recently completed a Master of Science in Education, Culture, and Society at the University of Pennsylvania and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from Colgate University. Her academic interests center on educational equity, social capital, and access to opportunity. Currently, she works as a care coordinator, assisting families enrolled in Medicaid as they navigate community mental health services and local resources. At the University of Pennsylvania, Felicity served as a graduate assistant, supporting research on culturally responsive teaching practices, organizing the Ethnography in Education Research Forum, and assisting with program administration. Her master's research examined the admissions processes of selective liberal arts colleges and explored how institutions might create more equitable pathways to higher education. Her commitment to inclusive and critical education is grounded in her experience as a substitute teacher, a role she held from 2021 to 2025. A defining experience in Felicity's life was spending her junior year of high school aboard the Gulden Leeuw, a three-mast Dutch tall ship, through the Class Afloat program. Living, studying, and sailing alongside students and staff from around the world, she traveled to 21 countries across 4 continents. The experience deepened her appreciation for cultural diversity and fostered a lasting curiosity about the world. In Greece, Felicity looks forward to supporting students' English-language development while learning from the perspectives, traditions, and experiences of the communities around her.

Isabelle Appleton received a BA in Religion with a concentration in Studio Art from Vassar College. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa and was awarded the J. Howard Howson Prize for Excellence in the Study of Religion. In 2025, she received her MFA in Fiction from NYU, where she was awarded the Alpine Fellowship, the Goldwater Fellowship, and the Thesis Research Award for her thesis, “The World.” Her work can be found in publications including The Paris Review, Joyland Magazine, Conjunctions, The New England Review, and more. Originally from the city of St. Louis, Isabelle has spent the past seven years in New York City, working at institutions including The Princeton Review, William Morris Endeavor, e-flux, and The Institute for Christian Socialism. She has taught introductory creative writing at NYU and was a Fall 2025 fellow at the Ucross Foundation. She’s interested in contemporary literary representations of Greece in the work of authors including Jeffrey Eugenides, Lawrence Durrell, Don DeLillo, and Rachel Cusk.

Jehan is a returning Fulbright ETA from the 2025-26 cycle and received a B.A. from Tufts University in International Relations, with a concentration in Europe and the Former Soviet Union. During his undergraduate career, he developed a passion for teaching and research alike. His pedagogical experience traverses a broad range of topics and ages. During his first year of Fulbright at Athens College, he enjoyed making American and British literature accessible in a Greek cultural context. His presidency of Tufts Debate Society tasked him with developing drills, planning and running practices, and broadly ensuring the club's collective enjoyment and development. As a teaching assistant in political philosophy, Jehan was aided by his research experience. He pursued independent study with Tufts Political Science Faculty on Plutarch's treatment of Platonic virtue in his biographies and received two research fellowships concentrated on Machiavelli's evaluation of the Ancient World and its Renaissance imitators. Jehan's experience teaching mature topics to older demographics is supplemented and enhanced by the four years he spent as a literacy tutor for Tufts Literacy Corps, an organization dedicated to increasing local literacy rates among elementary and middle school students. As a political theorist and prospective academic, he is thrilled to explore Greek culture and develop as an educator by learning from his peers and the senior instructors at the HAEF. Outside of the classroom, he enjoys playing music, reading, and playing basketball.

Julia Carpio recently graduated from Adelphi University with a Master of Arts in Childhood Education, an Advanced Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art through Adelphi’s accelerated Scholar Teacher Education Program. Throughout her studies, she developed a passion for multilingual education, literacy instruction, and cross-cultural learning, working extensively with English Language Learners in classrooms, literacy interventions, summer programs, and community-based settings, including years of volunteer teaching within her church community in Queens, New York. As a Teacher Resident in the West Hempstead Union Free School District, Julia worked with elementary ENL students through small-group instruction and completed an Action Research Project focused on improving reading fluency among first-grade English Language Learners. Her experiences studying abroad in Spain and Norway further strengthened her interest in international education and cultural immersion, while growing up in Queens and frequently traveling to El Salvador shaped her appreciation for multilingualism and cultural identity. Julia’s interest in Greece began during childhood visits to Astoria, Queens and deepened through her studies in art history, Greek language learning, and internship work with the Hellenic American Project at Queens College. As a Fulbright ETA at Athens College, she looks forward to supporting students in English language acquisition through creative, student-centered instruction while learning from Greek educational practices, culture, and community life. Outside of teaching, she enjoys oil painting, photography, exploring museums, and learning about language and culture through travel.

Laney recently graduated summa cum laude from New York University with a B.A. in History, Education Studies, and Hellenic Studies. During her time at NYU, she worked as a supervisor in the Undergraduate Admissions Office, guiding prospective students through the college admissions process while mentoring and training student employees. She particularly enjoyed helping students navigate higher education and hearing about the experiences that shaped their educational journeys. Laney also served as Captain of the NYU Equestrian Team for three years and has ridden horses for most of her life. In this role, she managed finances and budgeting, coordinated competitions, and oversaw operations to support the team’s growth. She takes pride in the inclusive community she helped build among riders of diverse backgrounds and experience levels. Laney began college as a musical theater major before shifting to a more traditional academic path and looks forward to incorporating arts and media into her work with students at Athens College. To connect more deeply with her Greek heritage, she studied Modern Greek for three years at NYU. Beyond the classroom, she has traveled extensively with her family, exploring local cultures and histories, and spent a month living in Athens with extended family to practice the language and experience daily life in Greece. She enjoys reading, traveling, musical theater, spending time with loved ones, and is particularly fond of Greece’s well-known feral cats. Laney is excited and honored to live and work in Athens, where she looks forward to further immersing herself in Greek culture and learning from Greek educational practices as she explores a future career in higher education and student affairs.

Madeleine Kapsalis graduated from Cornell University in May 2026 with a Bachelor of Arts in English and French and minors in Philosophy and European Studies. While at Cornell, she worked on The Cornell Daily Sun, the university's oldest independent newspaper, as a member of the social media team where she helped create digital content for the publication's online platforms. You can spot her in several videos on the Sun's Instagram page conducting spontaneous interviews with students around campus. Madeleine also worked as a writing tutor at the Cornell Writing Center, where she assisted both native and non-native English speaking students with all kinds of writing projects and helped them feel more confident in their ability to communicate their ideas effectively. Passionate about cultural immersion, Madeleine studied abroad for a semester in Paris at the Sorbonne and returned home fluent in the language. Outside of Cornell, Madeleine has worked closely with students from South Korea to improve their spoken and written English skills. She also has taught French and U.S. history to middle and high school students. These experiences deepened her appreciation for teaching and for the role that language plays in helping people connect across cultures. Madeleine is very grateful for the opportunity to work as an ETA at Athens College and for the chance to contribute her enthusiasm for teaching while learning from the Greek community.

Malva is a graduate of Amherst College, where she majored in Environmental Studies. She is the recipient of several fellowships supporting travel and educational development, including the Nagle Fellowship in Asian Arts, the National Science Foundation STEMSEAS Research Fellowship, and the Folger Shakespeare Undergraduate Research Fellowship. While at Amherst College, Malva worked as a Tour Guide for the Office of Admissions, and as the Communications Intern for both the Office of Sustainability, and the Office of Global Education. This will be her second year as a Teaching Fellow at Athens College-HAEF, and she could not be more excited to continue to engage with the school’s community. She is thankful to both Fulbright Greece and Athens College-HAEF for the opportunity. In her free time, Malva likes to read, track Skyscanner for her next destination, and practice the Greek skill of finding a good coffee.

Samantha, better known as Sam, graduated from the University of Mississippi In May 2026 with a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction after earning her Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education in 2024. During her graduate studies, she served as a Graduate Assistant in the School of Education, where she managed communications, coordinated events, and worked closely with students, alumni, faculty, and community partners. In December 2025, she presented educational research at the Mississippi Literacy Association Conference, further strengthening her commitment to student-centered teaching and learning. Throughout her six years at Ole Miss, Sam was deeply involved in student leadership and community engagement. As an Ole Miss Ambassador and member of the Office of Admissions team, she guided prospective and transfer students and their families through the college search process by leading campus tours, hosting recruitment events, and sharing her own experiences as an out of state student. One of the highlights of her undergraduate experience was serving as Miss Ole Miss for the 2023–2024 academic year. In this role, she worked closely with university leadership while representing the student body and raising more than $6,000 for the William Magee Center for AOD and Wellness Education.

As an educator, Sam enjoyed student teaching experiences in diverse and economically disadvantaged schools throughout Mississippi where she learned the importance of culturally responsive teaching and the power of education to connect people across different backgrounds and experiences. Her commitment to hands-on, inquiry-based learning led her to co-author a grant-funded environmental science project that provided middle school students with authentic opportunities to engage in scientific investigation. Throughout the spring of 2026, she helped lead the ongoing development of the school courtyard ecosystem that grew from the project, maintaining gardens, monitoring environmental conditions, and supporting outdoor learning experiences that connected students with their local environment. Her passion for student development also continued each summer through her work with Extended Day Services, a local children's program in her hometown of Pittsburgh, Penneyslvania focused on socialization, education, and recreation. Beginning as a camp counselor and later being promoted to Site Director, Sam helped create enriching experiences that supported students' academic, social, and emotional growth.

As a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant at Athens College, Sam is excited to learn alongside her students, share American culture, and deepen her understanding of Greek culture and education. Having grown up in the Pittsburgh area, home to one of the largest Greek communities in the United States, she is especially excited to experience Greece firsthand. In her free time, she enjoys discovering new coffee shops, cooking and sharing meals with others, and listening to music.

Sophie Glaser graduated from Princeton University with a Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy and minors in Gender & Sexuality Studies and Values & Public Life. While at Princeton, Sophie focused her research on the criminal legal system and conditions of incarceration in the United States, which culminated in her senior thesis on innovative forms of indigent defense representation. She worked as an Undergraduate Course Assistant in both economics and public policy, while also conducting research for visiting legal scholars during her junior year. Sophie competed with the Princeton Mock Trial team for four years, captaining and serving as both an attorney and a witness. While on the team, she competed at the National Championship Tournament twice, and was most recently selected to compete in Trial By Combat, a one-on-one mock trial tournament featuring the top 16 competitors from across the country. At Princeton, Sophie was involved in numerous student organizations, including Coffee Club, a student-run coffee shop, the Center for Jewish Life, and SPEAR, a prison reform and advocacy group. Sophie is passionate about law and providing mentorship opportunities for younger students. In her free time, Sophie enjoys reading, supporting women’s sports, needlepointing, watching Formula One, and live music. She is incredibly excited to find community through the English Teaching Assistant Program at Athens College, and to empower students to find their own voices in their coursework and extracurriculars.

William graduated from Middlebury College in the winter of 2024 with a B.A. in English literature with a minor in studio art. At Middlebury, he served as a news and layout editor at The Middlebury Campus, the college’s student newspaper. William was a Narrative Journalism Fellow, where he collaborated with professor and journalist Sue Halpern on a podcast series spotlighting Middlebury's student body. He later worked with Halpern on a three-part audio series about how COVID-19 affected teenage mental health. After graduating, William spent two years working as a digital news producer at The Boston Globe and as an editorial assistant for MIT’s business review magazine, MIT Sloan Management Review. He has also served as an admissions volunteer for Middlebury for the past two years and takes great pride in his small liberal arts college roots. William is especially excited to work with students in Athens; his interest in Greek culture began in fourth grade, when his academic year was devoted to Greek mythology. He hopes to return to the U.S. to work in education and support students through college counseling. Outside of work, he enjoys downhill (and uphill) skiing and hiking, is an advanced potter, and rarely turns down a challenging crossword puzzle.