Bulletin News

04/29/2010 

Chelsea Dixon of Shirley, N.Y., a SUNY Cortland senior majoring in childhood education and Spanish, has been awarded a prestigious Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship (ETA) for the next school year in Madrid, Spain.

“I believe the experience of teaching English in a different country will enhance my future career as a Spanish teacher, in that I will gain a stronger proficiency in the language and a deeper understanding of the culture and other teaching methodologies,” said Dixon, who anticipates teaching Madrid elementary schoolchildren and assisting teachers with English classes 16 hours per week for nine-and-a-half months in a Spanish elementary school beginning in September 2010.

“I will use this knowledge to transform the world through my classroom,” she stated.

Established in 1946 by the U.S. Congress, the Fulbright Program offers international scholarships to foster leadership, learning and empathy between cultures. Named for the late Senator J. William Fulbright, and sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, the website Fulbrightonline.org relates that the program is the largest U.S. international exchange offering opportunities for students, scholars and professionals to undertake graduate study, advanced research, university teaching and teaching in elementary and secondary schools worldwide.

Dixon was one of 68 among 291 applicants selected for the Fulbright ETAs in Spain for 2010, said Jerome O’Callaghan, associate dean of the College’s School of Arts and Sciences.

Dixon’s Fulbright year will advance her knowledge of Spanish language and culture and will be very valuable in her future career and academic pursuits, he added.

“Since I have added my dual major in Spanish, I realized that a career in that field is what would make me most satisfied,” said Dixon, who is scheduled to graduate from SUNY Cortland in May.

At Cortland, she enrolled in the Foreign Language in Elementary School course, which gives her the building blocks to teach Spanish to elementary school students.

“During my time there, I also hope to work teaching adults English, as well as having more interaction with the elementary schoolers,” continued Dixon, who is currently completing her semester of student teaching at Southwest Elementary School in the Brentwood (N.Y.) School District.

The Fulbright ETA program has grown rapidly over the last two years, according to the organization’s website. Fulbright offers English Teaching Assistantships in many countries worldwide. Each ETA Program is designed by the host country and individual elements may vary by country.

In general, ETA award recipients are assigned activities designed to improve the host country students’ language abilities and knowledge of the U.S.

Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship scholar Chelsea Dixon is shown during her study abroad month in Spain last summer, when she visited Barcelona.

Additionally, the ETA recipients become fully integrated into the host community, increasing their own language skills and knowledge of the host country.

Dixon already knows how she would like to accomplish that goal in Spain.

“I would love to be able to coach a school team, especially cheerleading,” she said. “I was a cheerleader for nine years and I will always have a passion for the sport and for sharing it with others; especially in a country like Spain, where it is not as popular.”

Fulbright ETA applicants are encouraged to offer a flexible, side research/study/community outreach project, and Dixon’s proposal to coach Spanish cheerleaders improved her edge. She also met the requirement to have strong language skills in either Spanish or Catalan.

“Spain is a very appealing country to me, and I am attracted to the position there mainly due to my study abroad experience this past summer,” Dixon said. “I fell in love with Spain, chiefly where I studied, Madrid. During my stay in Spain, I made it a point to experience the classic and modern traditions such as attending a flamenco performance and a bullfight. Additionally, because in the U.S. we mainly learn Latin American Spanish, exposure to Castilian Spanish was an adventure. I found it beneficial to learn this unique dialect and its distinctive characteristics. I will use my familiarity with this world as a tool to educate others.”

A 2005 graduate of William Floyd High School in Mastic Beach, N.Y., Dixon earned an associate degree in arts and sciences from SUNY Suffolk Community College, where her studies emphasized child study.

“I came to SUNY Cortland because of its outstanding childhood education program,” said Dixon, who aspires to teach elementary school level Spanish and earn her master’s degree in English as a second language.

At SUNY Cortland, she was inducted into the foreign language honor society Phi Beta Delta, the education honor society Kappa Delta Pi and the Spanish honor society. The James M. Clark Center for International Education presented her with an Overseas Award Program stipend, which enabled her to study during Summer 2009 in Madrid. Dixon also was awarded a Phi Beta Delta scholarship by the honor society’s local chapter.

“One professor, Dr. Katina Sayers-Walker, helped me to discover how rewarding involvement can be,” Dixon noted. “She urged me to join Kappa Delta Pi and to become an officer. I took on an important leadership role that required organizing and planning activities like a ‘Fitness Carnival’ and ‘Go Green Day’ in a sixth grade classroom. My participation led to a sense of accomplishment as well as pride in my work, which has inspired me to be more active in my community and to expand my involvement worldwide.”