North Bergen resident Natalie Nazar awarded Fulbright grant to teach English in Costa Rica

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Natalie Nazar

EWING, NJ (06/12/2013)(readMedia)-- The College of New Jersey is pleased to announce that two members of the class of 2013 have been selected to receive Fulbright grants. This marks the fourth consecutive year that TCNJ students have been selected.

North Bergen resident Natalie Nazar received one of the Fulbright grants: an English Teaching Assistantship in Costa Rica.

Majoring in English and Secondary Education, Natalie Nazar learned about the Fulbright program through a good friend and began drafting her application with the help of Nancy Freudenthal, assistant provost. Nazar was originally chosen as an alternate for the Costa Rica program, on which she reflected: "I did not think I would get Costa Rica because they only have two spots and I didn't think anyone would turn down a Fulbright."

Meanwhile, she applied to a program in Brazil and began interviewing for teaching positions in New Jersey. Five days after graduation, she received a call from Fulbright that she would be heading to Central America.

Nazar will be spending 10 months in Costa Rica assisting teachers with English instruction and will be creating activities that will allow students to use their English vocabulary. She anticipates starting the program in winter 2014.

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. The primary source of funding for the Fulbright Program is an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations and foundations in foreign countries and in the United States also provide direct and indirect support. Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields. The Program operates in over 155 countries worldwide, and awards approximately 8,000 grants annually.