Kaylee Barber, a German and international studies major, has been awarded a Fulbright Teaching Assistantship Scholarship. After she graduates in May, the Gretna native plans to travel to Germany, where she will teach English in a German school.
Barber is a member of the German Club and the German Film Club. She also participates in intramural athletics, including soccer, flag football and basketball. Last year, she was a member of the Courtyards residence hall government. She minors in art and art history.
"I studied at an intensive language school (DID Program) in Berlin, Germany, for seven months in 2010," Barber said. "It was very impactful on my education and led to me being a German major and applying for the Fulbright Scholarship."
During her time in Germany, Barber and her mentor, Sheri Hurlbut, a graduate student and lecturer for the Modern Languages and Literature department at UNL, visited a family in Dresden. They had dinner with them in their home and the parents told Hurlbut later that Barber had made an impression on them.
"They were impressed with her openness and ability to share her views in German," Hurlbut said.
After she completes her time abroad, Barber said she hopes to attend graduate school, studying German and teaching. She has already spent time helping current students with their German through Student Support Services on campus.
Barber discussed the possibility of becoming a teaching assistant in the same department with Hurlbut earlier in the year. Impressed with Barber's patience, Hurlbut said that Barber can clearly explain material to struggling students. She became an ideal candidate in Hurlbut's eyes when she demonstrated superior tutoring skills.
"When it comes to interacting with students, she is a true leader," said Hurlbut. "Kaylee is an ambitious student who takes learning seriously, but isn’t afraid to have fun in the process."
The Fulbright Program, established in 1946 and funded by the U.S. Department of State, is designed to foster understanding between the United States and other countries. The U.S. Student Fulbright program gives recent graduates, graduate students and young professionals the opportunity to conduct research, study or teach in one of the 155 countries that the program operates. The Fulbright program is the flagship international education program sponsored by the U.S. government. About 8,000 grants are awarded annually, and about 1,600 of those grants are awarded to U.S. students. This is the second student Fulbright announced at UNL in 2012.
— Haley Whisennand, Honors Program