Aidan Balt

The U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board announced Aidan Balt of Maricopa High School has been offered a Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms Program grant and fellowship.

“Being awarded a Fulbright Fellowship and grant is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I am so grateful that out of over 450 applicants, I was selected to participate,” said Balt, a National Board Certified teach.

[quote_center]”I am always seeking to be the best educator I can be, and I’m positive this experience will lead to new ways of thinking and have a big impact in my classroom at MHS.”[/quote_center]

She is one of approximately 76 U.S. citizens who will travel abroad through the Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms Program in 2019-20. Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected on the basis of academic and professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential. The grant pays expenses associated with the fellowship.

“The process was long, and I’ve been waiting since the spring to hear if I was awarded a spot or not,” she said.

Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms is a year-long professional development opportunity for U.S. elementary, middle, and high school teachers to develop skills for preparing students for a competitive global economy. The fellowship includes a 10-week course online and a three-day summit in Washington, D.C., in January.

“From there, I will find out where my exchange with the U.S. State Department will take me,” Balt said. “I will be assigned a country, a school and a cooperating teacher/classroom. I will be overseas for 2-3 weeks, working with the cooperating teacher and students. Once I return, I will have until the end of August to complete a Capstone project based on the action research I complete during my time overseas.”

The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to build relations between the people of the United States and the people of other countries that are needed to solve global challenges. It operates in over 160 countries worldwide.

“I can’t wait to see what learning comes out of this experience,” Balt said. “I am always seeking to be the best educator I can be, and I’m positive this experience will lead to new ways of thinking and have a big impact in my classroom at MHS.”