School of Education Student Selected for Fulbright Program

Webster University student Sheila Turan has been selected by the U.S. Department of State to participate in its prestigious Fulbright English Teaching Assistant program. She is the first Webster University student to be selected for the highly competitive program.

Starting in the fall, Turan will teach English at Düzce University in Turkey. She said this opportunity to teach in Turkey is fulfilling a life-long dream.

“I specifically chose Turkey because it is a country I have loved since I was a little girl,” Turan said. “I have never been to Turkey and have always wanted to see where my ancestors came from. Another reason is because many articles revolving around teaching English were written by professors and researchers in Turkey.”

Being selected for a Fulbright is no easy fete, said Professor DJ Kaiser, associate dean in the School of Education. He has served on Fulbright selection committees for students hoping to teach in Peru and Spain and said the process is extremely competitive and rigorous.

“The review process involves an initial review of application to identify qualifying candidates, then a panel of three faculty members from various universities, all who were prior Fulbright recipients, will review applications and then rank order those applications, before a list of recommended semi-finalists go through additional review,” Kaiser said. “Turkey is in the top 10 for most applications per country, making this even more competitive, so the fact that Turan was selected speaks very highly of her.”

Turan, who is simultaneously pursuing a bachelor’s degree in education and a master’s degree in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL), was born in St. Louis and raised in Missouri, but the TESL field has a personal resonance for her. Both of the 24-year-old’s parents are immigrants and she did not learn fluent English in her household.

 

One of the reasons I chose Webster was because of its attention to diversity and mission to prepare students to be global citizens.

“Growing up, I did not have the best support when learning English and depended on my brother and friends to teach me and help me with my schoolwork,” Turan said. “At times, I felt as though none of my teachers understood me and supported me. For this reason, I wanted to become an ESL teacher to support students who are learning English.”

It’s an empathy that she said was recently strengthened in her by Webster University Professor Silvia Navia Mendez-Bonito, who teaches Spanish as part of Webster’s International Languages and Cultures program. It’s also a lesson she shares with her elementary-grade students at Mason School of Academic and Cultural Literacy, where she teaches English as a Second Language.

“When I wanted to give up on Spanish, Silvia encouraged me to continue and keep trying. She taught me that, to fail is to succeed,” Turan said. “This is a critical part of language learning. When one fails, it creates an opportunity for growth.”

She hopes to find other opportunities for personal grown while teaching in Turkey. Besides strengthening her teaching and language skills, she plans to find opportunities to explore the region and also travel to other countries in Europe. “I aim to be a strong cultural ambassador by the end of my grant time,” she said.

It’s an opportunity that she believes Webster has prepared her for. She said she credits the faculty in the School of Education for giving her a solid foundation for her career, and specifically called out Kate Northcott, the director of the Student Literacy Corp, who “has always been there for me and every other student with continuous support and care.”

She added that even before she met the faculty and staff, she knew Webster would create opportunities for her that she had previously only dreamed of because the University has an international focus.

“One of the reasons I chose Webster was because of its attention to diversity and mission to prepare students to be global citizens,” Turan said. “Webster’s selection of study abroad opportunities were another factor in my decision in applying for the school. To be honest, Webster University was the only university I applied to during my senior year of high school because it was the only one I wanted to attend.”