Susanna Meyer ’15, of Philadelphia, Pa., has been awarded a 2015 Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Mexico.
A double major in Africana and Latin American Studies and Geography, Meyer has twice taught English in Mexico on brief summer programs, and she has worked for a nonprofit providing services to the Mexican immigrant community in Philadelphia.
Susanna Meyer ’15
“I was exposed to Spanish language and Mexican culture from an early age because my Quaker elementary school supported an exchange program with a private school in Cuernavaca, Mexico. I lived with my pen-pal, Paloma, for two weeks and she came to live with me in Philadelphia for two weeks later in the year,” Meyer said. “I continued to take Spanish language classes and I created an independent project in which I taught English in Puerto Vallarta, traveled to Oaxaca, and taught English in a resource-poor school on the outskirts of the city. I also earned some valuable experiences teaching English as a second language to the Mexican immigrant community in Philadelphia.”
Meyer is a varsity athlete on the women’s crew team, a member of Delta Delta Delta, and is the Colgate Crossword Puzzle Club founder. Building on her involvement in sports, Meyer enjoys incorporating movement and physical activity into her teaching.
“Susie has impressive teaching experience in a diverse range of classrooms, and she has extensive academic and personal knowledge of Mexican history and culture,” said Kim Germain, Colgate’s assistant dean for fellowship advising, a close adviser to Fulbright applicants. “She’s also incredibly warm and engaging, and I’m confident that she’ll be highly successful in Mexico and have a really meaningful cross-cultural experience.”
Meyer’s future plans include continuing her work with the Mexican community in Philadelphia and also, in the longer term, building a career that relates to immigration policy and aid for immigrant communities.
The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected on the basis of academic achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields.