Three Sweetland Peer Writing Consultant alumni, Sofia Squatriti, Kyle Johnson, and Ed Mayes are among the record number of U-M students named as finalists for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program 2018-2019. All three are recipients of English Teaching Assistantships (ETA) which are offered to students who will be serving as assistants in classrooms throughout East Asia, Europe and Eurasia, and Latin America. Ed Mayes and Kyle Johnson are both ETA's in Germany, while Sofia Squatriti's ETA position is in Mexico.

From Ed Mayes: "I am working as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) in Neustadt an der Weinstraße, Germany. As an ETA, I support the English teaching staff at BBS Neustadt, a trade and vocational school. My duties include lesson planning, preparing and delivering presentations on relevant cultural and political topics, tutoring students who require extra assistance, and generally serving as a resource to students and teachers interested in the English language and American culture. I'm very grateful for the opportunities I've been awarded as an ETA, because not only have they allowed me to improve my German speaking abilities and gain valuable teaching experience, but they've also made it possible for me to feel perfectly at home in a community thousands of miles from my hometown."

From Sofia Squatriti: "This year, I’m working as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) in Mérida, Mexico. I’m teaching students ages 15 and up at a language center that is part of the Autonomous University of Yucatán. I’m also volunteering at an immigration lawyer’s office, traveling as much as I can, eating a lot of food, and (unfortunately) exercising my limited plumbing-related vocabulary in Spanish on a regular basis.My work as a Peer Consultant at Sweetland taught me a lot of the skills I use now as an English teacher. During consultations, we emphasize listening to the writer, adjusting our style to suit their abilities and preferences, and prioritizing clarity and communication over minor errors. I still rely on this same framework in my otherwise very different academic context!"

More on Fulbright 2018-2019 awards at The University Record and LSA International Institute.