While finishing her master’s program at Chapman University, Roxanne Aguilera decided to take a bold step—she applied for a U.S. Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Award.. This prestigious award offers students the opportunity to teach English in classrooms around the world while immersing themselves in a new culture.

The Fulbright program provides support for room and board, travel, and other living expenses throughout the nine-month fellowship, allowing recipients to focus on teaching and cultural exchange. After completing the competitive application process, Roxanne was awarded the fellowship and is now in Spain, where she is teaching English and engaging with her host community.

In 2024, Aguilera graduated from Chapman with a BA in Political Science and Sociology, a minor in Economics, and was a part of the University Honors Program. She did the Integrated Graduate Program, where she was able to start her master’s degree during her final year of undergraduate schooling. In May 2025, Aguilera graduated with her MA in International Studies. The next step after receiving her master’s was to apply for law school, however, she decided she wanted to spend more time abroad before applying. “I had always wanted to go to law school,” said Aguilera, “but I didn’t feel like I had that itch scratched. I felt like I needed more time abroad before starting this new chapter of my life.” Dr. Julye Bidmead, former Center for Undergraduate Excellence (CUE) Director, encouraged Aguilera to apply to Fulbright and assisted in putting together her application. Current CUE Director, Dr. John Hunter, regularly checked in and provided reassurance to Aguilera during the application process. “I am truly grateful for the support I have received from both of them,” said Aguilera.

Aguilera arrived in Spain early September. The months leading up to her departure, Fulbright assisted her in preparing for her time abroad, working out visas, transportation, and housing. Aguilera was placed in A Coruña, Galicia, Spain, where she works at a plurilingual school. She works in 16 classes a week, 32 total, as an ETA. She assists in teaching courses such as English, religion, technology, chemistry, biology, and geography. Within these classrooms, she is either there to assist in English pronunciation of words during lessons or sometimes creates her own lesson plans to teach during classes. She often interacts with students during class time, encouraging them to discuss the subjects they are learning with her to practice their English.

Aguilera discussed the cultural differences in learning and education between the United States and Spain. “It’s like [being] a cultural ambassador,” said Aguilera, “we’re teaching them about the U.S. and they’re teaching us about their culture.” Aguilera uses these cultural lessons in the classroom by introducing methods of teaching that she was familiar with growing up but may be unfamiliar to the kids she is teaching. These assist in memorization and learning in subjects like English. 

The Galician government, called Xunta, gave Aguilera a special opportunity where she was one of eight people chosen to open global classrooms, AKA Model UN, at the high school she works at. “I’m working with the teachers [and] I’m working with the government to figure out how to implement Model UN because they’ve never done it before,” said Aguilera.  

Only a few months into her Fulbright experience, Aguilera has gained a lot of experience and opportunity with her assistantship in Spain. “I am super blessed to be given this opportunity. I am so excited to be a part of Fulbright and be a Fulbright Fellow,” said Aguilera. 

Continue to follow Roxanne’s story and her experiences during her Fulbright journey through our CUE blog series featuring her time in Spain. Stay tuned as we share updates, reflections, and insights from Roxanne as she connects with her students, and explores life abroad. Interested in applying for a Fulbright? The next cycle of the U.S. Fulbright Student Program opens in Spring 2026 for both research and English teaching assistantship awards. For more information about Fulbright and other prestigious grants, fellowships, and scholarships, visit CUE’s website or email cue@chapman.edu.