Fellowships and Opportunities


Jared Shely–Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Colombia

Name: Jared Alan Raymond Shely

Class Year: 2018

Hometown: Lexington, KY

Major(s): Global History, Spanish

Minors or Concentrations: Education, Latin American & Carribean Studies

Opportunity and Year: Fulbright Program for U.S. Students, 2018-19

Project Summary: I will be working as an English teaching assistant at the Universidad de Boyacá in Tunja, Colombia.

How did W&L prepare you for this opportunity? My work through the Education and Spanish departments and with ESOL, my confidence in my ability to communicate, learn, and teach are well established. Each of these experiences taught be to be critically reflective in a way that allows me to constantly improve my craft as an educator and my linguistic repertoire as a non-native Spanish speaker. In a less academic respect, W & L prepared me to trust myself and maintain flexibility throughout various experiences. W & L often pushed me outside my comfort zones in ways that challenged me emotionally, mentally, and physically, and through those experiences, I developed the skills necessary to persevere while appreciating the unique value of the moment at hand.

Why did you apply for this opportunity? My motivations for applying for a Fulbright are multifaceted. The first and likely most significant is my understanding of the value of communication and cultural exchange. My education in the Spanish language began on less than friendly terms, and my disdain for the language education I received was almost entirely linked to the abstract methods used by my instructor. My first trip out of the country to Honduras showed me that the reason to learn Spanish did not relate to my grade but the communicative opportunities it created with individuals who did not speak English. I relish the opportunity to create similar experiences for students in another country, while admittedly selfishly pursuing those same experiences for myself.

I managed to travel extensively in the US and some in South America during my college years but studying abroad for a semester or longer did not take priority in my schedule. A Fulbright allows me to live abroad and continue to speak the Spanish language on a daily basis, and I am very excited to experience living in Colombia.

Post-graduation Plans: I plan to finish my teaching licensure program through W & L with a certification in Secondary English, Social Studies, and Spanish. I plan to teach thereafter at the high school level and pursue an career in the field of education.

How will this opportunity help you achieve your goals? The Fulbright will expand my experience as an educator and better prepare me to use my Spanish speaking abilities to serve future students in the classroom. Additionally, it strengthens my résumé within the field.

Extracurricular Involvement:

I am a member of the Polo Team, the Crux Team, and the Outing Club.
Additionally, I am the former Commander of Sigma Nu Fraternity.

Off-campus Experience:

I studied abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina during the summer of 2017. During that time, I traveled to several other parts of Argentina and explore the coast of Uruguay.

I traveled to Honduras five times between the summer of my freshman year of high school and my freshman year of college. I lived there for one of those summers working with a Christian mission that organized feeding programs, construction projects, and religious services for all ages.

I worked for AST Environmental Inc. during the summer of 2015 as an Environmental Technician working on ground water remediation projects throughout the eastern United States.

I worked for Test Grid.io in Atlanta Georgia during the summer of 2016 as the Marketing Director.

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