Grace Evans Awarded Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in Taiwan

Grace Evans ‘17, an East Asian studies major with a politics minor, has been awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in Taiwan.

While at Oberlin, Evans has been a member of the varsity softball team and served on the student-athlete advisory committee as a representative from the softball team.

While she’s never been to Taiwan, she’s studied abroad in both Kunming and Hangzhou, China, and has studied Mandarin at Oberlin. The graduating senior, who has a concentration in linguistics, will live in an area called Taitung, which is inhabited by aboriginal people. “I’ve always been interested in linguistics, so I hope to study the aboriginal language as well as the dialect of Mandarin local to Taiwan.”

Evans has prior experience teaching in her hometown of Arlington, Virginia, where she was a volunteer at a High Intensity Language Training program. While at Oberlin, she’s also worked as an English teaching assistant and is currently an English tutor in Elyria Public Schools.

Evans sees the Fulbright teaching assistantship as an ideal opportunity to bolster her understanding of education systems outside of the United States. “I want to expand my knowledge of pedagogical techniques and add to my understanding of global education systems.”

Through the program, she looks forward to learning more about the Taiwanese culture and intends to share her knowledge of the United States with those she meets. She embraces the idea that she’ll “be helping to foster an environment conducive to cultural exchanges.”

“My education and experience at Oberlin has prepared me for this experience,” says Evans, whose fellowship begins in September. “I’m excited to work in a new environment that will challenge me as both an educator and individual.”

Following the assistantship, she hopes to attend graduate school to further her knowledge of education policy.