Rose Xiong, a 2016 North Central University graduate, recently received a Fulbright scholar grant and is currently serving as an English Teaching Assistant (ETA) in South Korea. Xiong earned a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies: Pre-law and Intercultural Studies at North Central. Most recently, she worked at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities as a Principal Office & Admin Specialist.
According to Xiong, “The main focus of being a Fulbright is to serve as a cultural ambassador of one’s home country while working or researching in their focused country.” Xiong’s Fulbright experience will allow her to be part of the exchange of language and culture and increase mutual understanding between the U.S.A. and South Korea.
As an ETA, Xiong serves in a South Korean classroom to assist her peers and act as a cultural ambassador for the U.S.A. while she shares the English language and culture with her Korean co-workers and students, whether through teaching in a classroom setting or daily conversations.
Door to adventure and opportunity
Xiong began her term as an ETA in January. She said that the Fulbright opportunity has already allowed her to travel and undergo opportunities in a country she had only dreamed of visiting. She has been able to travel around the country “more within a month than I would in the USA, exploring places that most tourists would not know about or would skip over.”
Xiong’s Fulbright experience began in January with six weeks of orientation, during which she spent four hours learning Korean from Monday to Friday. She was also required to attend teaching and cultural workshops daily with the other 67 people in her Fulbright cohort. She officially began her ETA assignment on March 2 in Hwacheon-gun, South Korea.
Xiong received an outstanding award and a Korean language certificate during her orientation process, something she believes she would have never received had she not pushed herself to step out and expand her comfort zone. In addition, her network has grown, and she is pleased to have made lifelong friends with friends from different backgrounds and states, as well as many new friends and colleagues from South Korea.
Competitive selection process
Xiong said the Fulbright application process was rigorous. After the initial application, prospective scholars go through two rounds: semi-final and final. After the semi-finalists have been announced, the grantees wait a few months for the final award letter. Xiong said she was happy and thankful at each stage of the process—especially when she received her final award letter.
Her Fulbright experience has also been a journey of faith. Xiong said, “I had a feeling I was going to be a Fulbright finalist because the opportunity arrived at the right time; I knew it was what the Lord had prepared for me.”
Growing in confidence
Throughout the Fulbright process—from application to orientation to teaching—Xiong said she has become much more confident in herself and has a more profound love for people. “Joining Fulbright has allowed me to have experiences and opportunities I would have never encountered or would have hesitated to accept,” she said. “The Fulbright has been one of the most memorable moments of my life. I am truly thankful every day to be a part of the Fulbright community.”
The Fulbright program provides grants to students, scholars, and professionals to undertake research, teaching, or work in a foreign country.
