Fulbright Scholarship Awarded to Saline High School Graduate

2017 SHS Graduate Awarded a Fulbright Scholarship

Isabella Ruth Williams to teach English in Madrid, Spain

“Bella” studied Spanish in Valencia, Spain during her Michigan State

University (MSU) junior year, fulfilling a language immersion requirement for a Bachelor’s Degree in Education. She was called home abruptly due to Covid before the semester concluded. Her 2024-25 Fulbright Scholarship to teach English at a Catholic High School in Madrid will realize her dream to return to Spain.

She developed a love for teaching English as a Second Language (ESL)while fulfilling a MSU placement-teaching requirement in a Lansing high school. The majority of the students in the class spoke Arabic. She reports that they were excited about learning English, and that their teacher was enthusiastic about ESL.

Since college graduation, she has taught 7th grade Spanish for the Ypsilanti Public Schools, supporting the predominantly Spanish speaking students along with students who spoke six other foreign languages: Arabic, French, Kinyarwanda, Spanish, and Swahili. Her Ypsilanti teaching experience solidified her passion for ESL.

Several education professionals have influenced Bella’s path to Spanish proficiency and instilled in her a love for teaching English as a Second Language (ESL). In Saline Middle School, her principal offered Spanish since her first choice to study French was not available.

As a high school senior, she was encouraged to dual-enroll in college Spanish courses at Eastern Michigan University since Advanced Placement (AP) Spanish was not offered.

Bella’s forever “spirit guide and professional angel” is an ESL teacher at Michigan State University, Dr. Jungmin Kwon, Assistant Professor in the Department of Teacher Education. Dr. Kwon, a former Fulbright Fellow, encouraged Bella to consider a teaching career. Holding college teaching certificates in Spanish and ESL, Bella aspires to “meet the challenge foreign-born students face assimilating into American culture.”

During her Fulbright Scholar year in Madrid, Bella will be teaching English to high school students at Colegio Jésus Maria, a private Catholic school. Fulbright Scholars are expected to engage in community programs and activities in addition to their Award specific assignment. In that light, she hopes to be an ambassador of Bilingual Education, inspiring others to pursue the same. She believes that people do not have to be perfect speakers of a foreign language to connect with and relate to others in foreign countries.

When Bella returns home to America, she aspires to study for an advanced degree in bilingual education. She hopes to contribute to American culture becoming more bilingual as it is in most foreign countries.

Bella is grateful to the Saline School system for establishing positive relationships with students by mentoring and encouraging them to take a chance on the amazing varieties of classes, and to the community for being supportive of its youth in their pursuit of education and excellence. “It makes all the difference; it has for me!”

As Bella leaves Saline for Madrid in September, she says, “Adios nos vemos.”