Livingston's Elana Berger Named Fulbright Scholar

This fall, as most recent college grads are starting new jobs or beginning their graduate studies, Elana Berger, a recent graduate of Duke University, will be in Spain. Berger has been awarded a Fulbright scholarship to teach English in Madrid and serve as a cultural ambassador for the United States.

"When I began to study Spanish, I immediately took a special interest in the subject. During my freshman year of college, one of my professors told me about the scholarship. Applying was always in the back of my mind, but it wasn't until my junior year that I started to get serious about it," says Berger.

The Fulbright is a prestigious international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State designed to increase the mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. Since its establishment in 1946, forty Fulbright alumni from 11 countries have been awarded the Nobel Prize, and 75 alumni have received Pulitzer Prizes.

Berger's fellowship places her at a charter school in Madrid, where she will assist in teaching several subjects in English. Her mission is to improve foreign students' English language abilities and knowledge of the United States while enhancing her own Spanish language skills and knowledge of Spain.

Berger says, "I'm so excited to be working with kids. In addition to helping them learn English, I hope to break any negative stereotypes that they might have heard about Americans. For me, the experience is about impact and personal development."

As an undergraduate, Berger, 22, took full advantage of the study abroad opportunities offered at her school. During the fall semester of her junior year, she received college credit by taking classes at a university in Seville, Spain as part. The following summer she received a grant from Duke to work in Santiago, Chile for Acción Emprendedora, a non-profit organization that provides training and advice for aspiring micro-entrepreneurs with limited resources so that they can develop their own businesses and improve their quality of life.

The 2006 Livingston High School graduate found that studying in Seville and working in Santiago provided her with a wealth of life-changing experiences. The close friendships she made during her home-stays and the Spanish-speakers she interacted with during her internship supplemented her understanding of the world and her role in it. Berger recalls a pivotal moment in Santiago when the line between guest and close friend became blurred.

She states, "I was helping an association of caterers design a web site and market their new business. By the end of my time in Chile, I was invited to the launch event of their association. One woman with whom I had worked spent the whole night introducing me to her friends and family. I felt so accepted by this group of people, it was amazing."

Berger's experiences provide proof as to why exchange scholarships, like the Fulbright Program, are important. They support the belief that people who get to know foreigners view other countries more positively and have a better understanding of other cultures.

Berger's goal is just that. She says, "I want to be more than just another American student. I want to represent what I admire about my country. Fulbright has given me the opportunity to make a positive impact on the kids that I will be teaching and everyone else that I meet."

Berger's Fulbright scholarship spans from September 2010 to July 2011. After her year abroad she will bring her commitment to global engagement and learning to Bain & Company's Boston office as a strategy consultant.