Brenna Ritzert, '17

Brenna Ritzert '17 has always been interested in writing, however it was her love of tutoring English as a Second Language (ESL) students in the Writing Center that inspired her to apply for the Fulbright ETA. “Every time I come back from a Writing Center appointment where I’m working with an ESL student, I always have this huge smile on my face and this sense of fulfillment,” Brenna says. She is one of the few to make it through Fulbright’s highly selective application process, which is based on academic excellence and personal accomplishment.

Brenna's passion for helping others learn new languages was increased when she began enrolling in linguistics courses at SJU, such as Teaching Language at Home and Abroad, taught by Jennifer Ewald, Ph.D., associate professor of linguistics. “We learned communicative language teaching, which is when you instruct the class completely in the second language,” she says. “So even though my degree isn’t in education, I think that’s really prepared me for what I’ll encounter abroad."