2018-19 Fulbright: Samantha Staggs

Samantha Staggs, a German and global studies major and history minor at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, will return to Germany to teach English as a Fulbright award winner for the 2018-19 academic year.

She is well-prepared to teach after serving as an English tutor with Lincoln Literacy, where she gained classroom-management skills and learned activities to help students practice language.

“I am delighted to have received the Fulbright award and am especially looking forward to this next phase of my educational and professional career in Germany,” she said.

Staggs participated in the Deutsch in Deutschland language institute through Nebraska and a study abroad program at the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, where she took courses on European studies. At the University of Amsterdam, she was invited to be a student ambassador for the Global Exchange Ambassador Program, which included more than 150 international students and Dutch students. Her role was to foster the integration of exchange students and cultivate their intercultural and professional skills by participating in events and workshops.

For her host-country engagement, Staggs plans to start an after-school pen pal program between her school in Germany and her hometown school in Sutherland. Through collaboration with her former teachers and some of their students, students will be able to compare and contrast the political, societal, linguistic and cultural differences between Germany and the United States through email or Skype.

Upon completing her Fulbright, Staggs plans to apply to graduate programs in European culture and identity and return to Germany for her studies. She then intends to pursue a career in the Foreign Service with the U.S. government.