Jaroszewicz '12 Awarded Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Poland

Maria Jaroszewicz ’12, of East Longmeadow, Mass., has been awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Poland, where she will teach English to Polish students. Her grant begins in October.

A classics major and a visual arts studio minor, Jaroszewicz has already devoted time to teaching English as a second language. For the past two years, she has worked as a substitute teacher in the English Learners Program in the West Springfield Public School system. Through her work, Jaroszewicz has learned that ESL students learn English best when the grammar and vocabulary are taught in conjunction with culture.

Jaroszewicz was born in Poland and moved to the United States when she was 2 years old. When she arrives in Poland to do her Fulbright, she plans to immerse herself in the Polish culture so that she may better understand the history and society of the country and her relatives. She hopes that her experience will help her bridge the culture gap between her American upbringing and her Polish roots.

“I will teach the English language at a Polish university and relay my experiences as a Polish-American to help improve the caliber of the education. Since the region, people, and history of the United States mold the language, I hope to offer all that I have learned and acquired as a Polish-American raised in the United States to these students and, in turn, discover more about the culture of my ancestors,” she says.

Jaroszewicz hopes to continue her education in graduate school upon completion of her Fulbright experience. She is considering becoming a teacher of Latin and ancient Greek, but she is keeping her options open for opportunities and ideas that the Fulbright may afford her.

“Though I have a tentative plan with respect to a career after my Fulbright, I believe that that opportunity will undoubtedly shape my next move and may open doors and reveal unconsidered possibilities regarding my future,” she says.

At Holy Cross, Jaroszewicz serves as secretary on the executive board for the Campus Activities Board and has been the co-chair of two CAB committees for the past two years. She is also a member of Eta Sigma Phi, the national classics honor society.

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, Daniel Geiger '11, Eliza Gettel '12, Heidi Grek '12, Jaeyeon Lee ’12, Courtney Lesoon '12, George Matthews '12, and Peter Renehan '12.