Two recent grads earn Fredonia's first Fulbright student teaching scholarships

Amanda Bogert, M.S. Ed., earned a one-year Fulbright Scholarship to teach in Andorra in the Pyrenees mountains.

SUNY Fredonia has a rich tradition of faculty receiving Fulbright scholarships to teach or study in foreign lands, but never has a student been awarded such a distinguished honor. But that void disappears in September.

That’s when two SUNY Fredonia graduate students within its College of Education — Amanda Bogert and Catherine Riedesel — depart for Andorra and Turkey, respectively, as recipients of one-year Fulbright scholarships to become English Teaching Assistants. Both received master’s degrees in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) in May.

“We are very proud of the accomplishments of these fine young educators,” said Dean Christine Givner of the College of Education. “The awarding of Fulbright scholarships to both Amanda and Cathy is compelling evidence of their academic excellence as well as the quality of their educational experiences here at SUNY Fredonia.”

“I think it’s wonderful,” added Dr. Ted Schwalbe, coordinator of International Learning at SUNY Fredonia and the campus Fulbright program, of having two Fulbright students. Valuable learning experiences and cultural enrichment resulting from Fulbright scholarships are well known to Schwalbe, a longtime member of the Communication Department faculty and a four-time recipient of a Fulbright for teaching and research.

The opportunity to live independently in another culture will absolutely be one of the most important experiences that either student will have, according to Schwalbe.

Deep interests in foreign cultures, international matters, languages and teaching bond all “Fulbrighters,” and the SUNY Fredonia pair fit that template precisely. Riedesel and Bogert, who both grew up in Chautauqua County and also earned undergraduate degrees at SUNY Fredonia, have already logged bundles of frequent flyer miles to study and travel abroad. Just last summer the two participated in the SUNY Fredonia’s College of Education international exchange program in Wales.

Catherine Riedesel, M.S. Ed., also received a one-year Fulbright award to teach in Turkey.

Bogert, salutatorian of her class at Frewsburg High School, was all of 15 years of age and a sophomore when she spent a year in Argentina as a foreign exchange student. Several years later, after studying molecular biology at Grove City College, she relocated to Venezuela to attend medical school. Her bachelor’s degree is in Economics, with a minor in Spanish and certification in International Economic Studies. She also participated in the Belize service-learning and teaching practicum on campus.

Meanwhile, Riedesel, a graduate of Westfield Academy and Central School, has already visited South America, Europe, Africa and Asia. She studied in India, spent a summer in Tanzania and went on travel expeditions in Europe and Kyrgyzstan. Her bachelor’s degree is in Education, with a concentration in Adolescence Education - Social Studies/History.

Such impressive credentials — from stellar academic achievement at undergraduate and graduate levels, plus extensive engagement in internationally themed programs on campus — undoubtedly made these two SUNY Fredonia students outstanding Fulbright candidates for English Teaching Assistants. Turkey accepted only 35 students from a pool of 115 applicants for its ETA program, while the considerably smaller pool of 13 applicants for Andorra resulted in just five student placements. Additionally, Bogert becomes only the second student from the entire SUNY system to be accepted for a teaching assistantship in Andorra.

These educational journeys will provide experiences unique to each student. In Andorra, Bogert will live in a tiny country situated at the base of the Pyrenees Mountains between France and Spain. Catalan, a heritage language, is the official language, though only about a third of the nation’s 83,000 people are native Andorrans and speak it. The remaining population migrated to Andorra and continues to speak their native languages of Spanish, French, English or Portuguese.

Andorra boasts a diverse offering of educational programs for residents that include Andorran/Catalan, French or Spanish curricula and primary language of instruction options.

“The placement of Andorra will allow me to pursue my life goal of becoming plurilingual – speaking, reading and writing – in more than two languages,” explained Bogert, who is embracing the opportunity to learn her first heritage language. Enrolling in night classes in French, Italian or Portuguese is also on her things-to-do list.

Bogert has already developed after-school activities for her students, envisioning “Coffee or Tea with Ms. B” as a social gathering with a variety of focuses, such as reading, cheerleading (Bogert was a high school cheerleader), jigsaw puzzles and board games.

It’s been Riedesel’s dream for the last two years to broaden her teaching experience. “As soon as I got to graduate school, I knew that I wanted to teach and travel, so the Fulbright was the perfect opportunity for me to do both.” Her destination was obvious: the Middle East. “It is on the border of Europe, Asia and Africa, so it has so many cultures coming together right there.” The primary language is Turkish.

Teaching English to students at the university level will be Riedesel’s primary assignment; she expects to learn more about the city where she will live and her teaching duties in June. “It is a predominantly Muslim country, but there is huge diversity, and that’s why I can’t wait to find out in what city I will be teaching,” she added. Just over 70 million people live in Turkey.

Both students will bring with them considerable teaching based on American education models. Riedesel’s student-teaching experiences encompassed K-12; she also served as a substitute teacher in the Dunkirk school system for the last 1½ years and was a graduate assistant in the College of Education, where she supervised teacher candidates in field placements. High school was the student-teaching setting for Bogert, also a graduate assistant who supervised teacher candidates and a volunteer with the English as a Second Language program.

Both women have high career aspirations. Riedesel wants to become a global history teacher, preferably in an international school, and also become a bilingual teacher. Bogert plans to return to Western New York to become a dual-language elementary teacher or perhaps develop after-school bilingual education programs where they don’t currently exist. The experience in multi-lingual Andorra, she believes, will provide a solid base for a career in bilingual education and set the pace for a doctorate.

Schwalbe expects more SUNY Fredonia students will be encouraged to apply to the program following these two placements. “The perception has been that the Fulbright is for students from Ivy League schools, and not for mid-size state institutions. But now they’ll see that’s not true. We have Fredonia students in the program.”

The Fulbright, which Schwalbe christens “the cream of the crop” among all student exchange programs, was created after World War II by Sen. J. William Fulbright to promote peace and understanding through educational exchange.