Geiger '11 Awarded Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Sri Lanka

Daniel Geiger ’11, of Maple Plain, Minn., has been awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Sri Lanka, where he will teach English to Sri Lankan students. He leaves for the country in October.

A sociology major with both an African Studies and an Asian Studies concentration, Geiger is familiar with teaching English to non-native speakers. When he was in high school, he spent a year teaching English as a second language to elementary school students. During his time at Holy Cross, he volunteered as a tutor teaching English to Vietnamese adults at the South East Asian Center through Student Programs for Urban Development.

Geiger also spent his junior year in Sri Lanka at the University of Peradeniya through the Intercollegiate Sri Lanka Education program, where he came to understand the role that the English language played in Sri Lankan culture and social interaction.

“I met many brilliant Sri Lankan minds, but it seemed that a fluent grasp of English, often achieved through education abroad, united the most successful of those I met and marked the marginalization of the others I encountered. Through sharing my language with the next generation of brilliant minds, I plan to do my part to assist in the future success of each community by turning language from an obstacle to an asset,” said Geiger.

Upon completion of his Fulbright, Geiger intends to enroll in a master's or Ph.D. program in order to begin his career in international development work, which he hopes will eventually take him back to work with people in Sri Lankan communities.

Each year approximately 1,000 college students are awarded grants through the Fulbright Program, 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. Since the program’s inception in 1946, more than 300,000 participants — chosen for their leadership potential — have had the opportunity to observe each other’s political, economic and cultural institutions.

Read about this year’s other Holy Cross Fulbright Grant recipients: Joseph Cavanaugh '12, Mattea Cumoletti '12, Caroline Galiatsos '12, Eliza Gettel '12, Heidi Grek '12, Maria Jaroszewicz '12, Jaeyeon Lee ’12, Courtney Lesoon '12, George Matthews '12 and Peter Renehan '12.