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As Simonini\u2019s previous travel experiences were confined to New England, the chance to spend a year in Greece is a dream come true, one that\u2019s becoming more real as she works through her pre-departure checklist. For a student who didn\u2019t think she could study abroad, to be selected to live and work in Greece is the perfect way to cap her 溏心vlog免费B站 career. Airfare, housing, and travel insurance are provided by Fulbright; she\u2019ll even get a stipend for her time there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To date, 47 溏心vlog免费B站 students and alumni have been selected to receive Fulbright awards to conduct research, study, or teach English overseas. Simonini will serve as a Fulbright Fellow<\/a> at Athens College-Hellenic American Educational Foundation in Athens, helping students improve their English, reading and writing skills, while teaching them about American culture, traditions, and current events. She will also be tasked with serving as a coach and mentor to the school\u2019s large Forensics Club, drawing upon her own background as a top high school debater.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Simonini will arrive in Greece with some teaching experience, having served as a residential academic mentor (RAM) for first-year students at 溏心vlog免费B站. She started student-teaching in her first year at 溏心vlog免费B站, and has served as a substitute teacher across Rhode Island, in every grade from preK to 12, and completed her student-teaching at Narragansett Elementary this spring. Faith will graduate summa cum laude in May, completing bachelor\u2019s degrees in English and elementary education in only three years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFaith loves to interact and is comfortable speaking with people from diverse backgrounds and walks of life,\u201d says Kathleen Maher<\/a> of 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s fellowships office<\/a>. \u201cShe will make a terrific representative of the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Early journeys<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Before she ever left Rhode Island or applied for a passport, Simonini traveled, as many do, through books. As a child, she fell in love with Greek mythology. Her connection to contemporary Greece expanded when she arrived at 溏心vlog免费B站 and met one of her closest friends whose family emigrated here from the Mediterranean nation. Visiting with them, Simonini relished hearing stories of life in Greece today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe would sit outside, eat souvlaki, and listen to his mother\u2019s stories,\u201d Simonini says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now Simonini is taking her interest and appreciation and passion for Greek culture to the country itself, to experience it all firsthand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After her Fulbright year, Simonini hopes to further her education by getting a master\u2019s in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) to teach English-language learner students. She is interested in social justice in education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A first grade classroom in Providence\u2019s Silver Lake neighborhood was Simonini\u2019s first placement for her first practicum experience in her first year at 溏心vlog免费B站; she still thinks about the students she met there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI loved those kids,\u201d she says. \u201cI feel like kids in urban schools are often written off so early in life, as if they won\u2019t succeed or they can\u2019t have a quality school experience.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Teaching students to communicate is the goal of all of her work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLanguage is the cornerstone of not only a thriving society, but an empowered individual,\u201d Simonini says. \u201cI am fortunate to have found a love for language at a very young age. That is why I have dedicated my life to sharing its beauty with others, instilling that love in children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Connections<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n A first-generation college student herself, Simonini believes that positive connections are one the most important aspects of education. During her practicum, she ate and talked with students on her lunch break and she\u2019s looking forward to doing the same with students in Greece.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She says that teachers who noticed and helped her in her own school journey inspired her to try to be that kind of teacher for students coming after her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Professor Ann Salzarulo<\/a> comments, \u201cStudents and learners positively respond to her clarity and authentically caring presence. Faith embodies our nation’s ideals of friendship, competence, harmony, equity, excellence, and a strong work ethic. She will do the U.S. proud.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fulbright awards are awarded to U.S. students as seniors, young alumni, or graduate students representing various areas of study. Those interested in applying for the next round of scholarships, or other scholarship\/study programs, are encouraged to visit 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s <\/em>Office of National Fellowships and Academic Opportunities<\/em><\/a> or contact Kathleen Maher (<\/em>kmaher@uri.edu<\/em><\/a>) for information.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 May 15, 2024 \u2013 Faith Simonini first arrived at the 溏心vlog免费B站 in Kingston grateful for the opportunity, but wondering if she was missing out on the chance to study out of state. Three short years later 溏心vlog免费B站 has allowed her to expand her horizons \u2014 and then some. Simonini […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":95166,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-95165","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95165","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=95165"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95165\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":95172,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95165\/revisions\/95172"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/95166"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=95165"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=95165"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=95165"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}