FGCU grad teaching — and learning — through Fulbright in Colombia
5 – minute read
Casandra Casadevalle didn’t think she had a shot at the Fulbright Program when she first thought about applying during her senior year as a psychology major at Florida Gulf Coast University.
But now she’s 1,400 miles away from her hometown of Miami in Colombia, sponsored by one of the most prestigious scholarships in the United States.
The Fulbright Program was started by Sen. J. William Fulbright in 1946, with the objective of engendering cross-cultural exchange and, in his words, to bring “a little more knowledge, a little more reason, and a little more compassion into world affairs” in the aftermath of World War II. Today the program gives thousands of students and scholars the opportunity to teach or conduct research in one of more than 160 participating countries.
“I genuinely didn’t think I would get in because it’s so competitive,” Casadevalle recalled with a laugh.
The Honors College grad learned about Fulbrights from Hilal Peker, director of FGCU’s Office of Competitive Fellowships, who encouraged Casadevalle to apply and guided her through the process.
“She was my adviser for the Fulbright, and she helped me with all of my essays and cleaning up my resume and the interview process. When I was invited for an interview, she did mock interviews with me,” said Casadevalle. “She helped a lot.”
The Fulbright experience
Casadevalle applied to teach English in Colombia even though she’d never traveled there. Thanks to her best friend, who is Colombian, she had some familiarity with the country’s food, music and culture. She was asked to rank her top-three choices for Colombian cities to teach in and was assigned her No. 1, Bucaramanga.
Bucaramanga is the capital city and economic center of Santander, a department or administrative district known for its historic churches and nearby natural sites like the Chicamocha Canyon and the Ruitoque Plateau.
Casadevalle selected the city because of its relative proximity to the Colombia-Venezuela border, with the hope that she would get to work with migrants coming through the city. The beauty of the natural surroundings didn’t hurt either.
“This is in the valley surrounded by mountains. So there’s a lot of nature and conservation work as well,” said Casadevalle. “I wanted to get involved with that too.”
Casadevalle was assigned to the Universidad Industrial de Santander in Bucaramanga, the largest university in Colombia with a student body of more than 20,000. It’s considered one of the best universities in the country.
Her grant is to teach English, but the university has given her the freedom to take on other courses as well. She teaches 12 classes a week, covering English, U.S. culture and academic writing and research. She feels “really lucky” to be where she is because the university is well-funded and staffed by “very accommodating, very helpful people.”
Exploring the outdoors
When she isn’t in the classroom or working on lesson plans, Casadevalle often spends her time outdoors.
“People are very, very active here,” she said. “They close down the roads on the weekends to bike and walk on the main roads. People are always trying to do hiking or biking, things like that.”
While the region itself is beautiful and she has enjoyed her work, Casadevalle’s favorite aspect of life in Colombia may be the people, who have impressed her with their kindness and welcoming nature.
“Even someone that you just met, if you ask them about directions or information on something, they’ll go out of their way to help you. And that’s kind of rubbed off on me too,” she said.
Reflecting on her experiences, Casadevalle said her biggest takeaway from her time in Bucaramanga is to be open minded when learning about another country, to take the time to understand another culture instead of accepting preconceived notions.
Her Fulbright in Colombia ends in May, but Casadevalle is already planning her next adventure: grad school, where she hopes to pursue a doctorate in counseling psychology. Meanwhile, she encourages other FGCU students to work with the Office of Competitive Fellowships and explore the possibilities offered by life-changing programs like the Fulbright.
“Just apply. You have absolutely nothing to lose and everything to gain,” she said.
