When Denise Mahns, Hilton High School and Nazareth College graduate, steps in front of her class for the first time next fall it will feel like a whole new world - or at least a different country. Mahns has earned a prestigious Fulbright French Government Teaching Assistantship. She will be teaching English to secondary students in Strasbourg, France. "I am very excited and honored," Mahns said. She has spent the last couple weeks substituting in the Hilton Central School District and is set to head to Middlebury College to begin her Masters in French. The Fulbright Program, which began during the aftermath of WWII, is the U.S. government's flagship program in international educational exchange. Fulbright grants are made to U.S. citizens and nationals of other countries for a variety of educational activities, primarily university lecturing, advanced research, graduate study and teaching in elementary and secondary schools. The process to apply is time consuming and tedious. Fulbright Scholars are chosen for their leadership potential. Mahns said her inspiration for studying the language has come from her mother, Carleen, who is a former French teacher and from the foreign language teachers she encountered in both middle school and high school. This will be Mahn's second trip to France. "The first trip (as a college exchange student) was the time of my life. It was wonderful to feel at home," she said. Mahns said she enjoys French food, and loves the many museums. "The biggest difference between France and the United States is that there is a lot more French history and the history is a lot more present throughout their culture," Mahns said. "I think history has made France a more liberal culture." While she is anxious about leaving her family, Mahns is excited and doesn't even rule out moving to France permanently. "I feel like I could be very happy there," she said. |
