PHILADELPHIA (May 9, 2011) - Kenneth Snyder ’11 of Philadelphia has been awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship (ETA) to teach in the Republic of Indonesia for the 2011-12 academic year. After a two-month orientation in the capital, Jakarta, Snyder will likely be placed in a secondary school on one of the archipelago’s larger islands, Java, Bali or Sumatra. An English major and secondary education minor, Snyder will depart for Indonesia in August, completing his stay in May 2012.

“I applied for an ETA in Indonesia because I want to learn more about the country’s culture,” said Snyder. “Indonesia is the world’s fourth-most populous country with the largest population of Muslims. While at Saint Joseph’s, I took theology courses about the world’s three great monotheistic religions – Judaism, Christianity and Islam – that had a big impact on me, and I would like to learn more about Islam. I think it’s important for Westerners to have an understanding of Islam that goes beyond media rhetoric. As well, Indonesia is a beautiful country that I look forward to exploring.”

Snyder believes strongly in the value of public education. His Honors Thesis focuses on urban literacy programs and re-envisions the way English is taught in urban high schools.  “I believe that English education should expose students to literature that reflects their experience – their culture, their communities and their interests,” Snyder said. “As a student teacher, I tried to help my students develop into powerful, articulate writers who refuse to go unheard.”

Snyder hopes to teach English in Philadelphia upon his return from Southeast Asia. He is expected to graduate with a 3.97 G.P.A.

Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, the Fulbright ETA program provides funding for grantees to teach English in elementary and secondary education environments in order to improve their students’ language abilities and knowledge of the United States. Designed to promote mutual understanding and facilitate cultural exchange, ETA recipients are usually placed in schools outside of capital cities, and are integrated fully into the host community.