Fitzgerald awarded Fulbright to teach English in Spain

Maggie Fitzgerald, a senior honors student from Medway, Massachusetts, has received a Fulbright award to teach English in Oviedo, a city in northern Spain.

Fitzgerald is a history major with a minor in secondary education and concentration in Africa and African Diaspora. She's involved with the service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega through which she works with Lincoln Terrace Elementary school and the West End Center after-school program in downtown Roanoke.

Fitzgerald works as a resident advisor, Maroon ambassador and serves as a senator in the Student Government Association. She is also a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Omicron Delta Kappa honor societies.

Additionally, Fitzgerald says she was interested in applying to teach in Spain in particular because she spent a semester abroad in Tarragona, Spain and currently teaches Spanish to elementary-aged children at Roanoke Spanish, a boutique firm in downtown Roanoke.

"It is rare that I have encountered a student such as Maggie, in whom I hold complete confidence and trust in her ability to thrive overseas as a Fulbright ETA," says Prof. Katie Elmore, teaching associate in education. "Her outstanding academic abilities, her innate gift for relating to people, and her genuine delight in living and learning make her an ideal candidate." 

"Although the application process is certainly competitive, it brought together a cohort of passionate, dedicated students here at Roanoke College," says Fitzgerald. "I could not be more proud of my fellow classmates who applied for various Fulbrights and, even more so, I could not have more pride for the school that prepared us all so well."