My formative years at UBC helped instil in me a lifelong commitment to international exchange and mutual understanding. From 2022–2024, I successfully completed two prestigious 10-month English Language Fellowships with the US Department of State in East Africa.

At Haramaya University in Ethiopia, during academic year 2022–2023, I directed a K-12 English Club for more than 150 learners, taught university English classes to undergraduate and graduate students, ran a community basketball program for marginalized children, and revitalized the campus English Language Improvement Center. Additionally, I co-facilitated a three-day workshop on ‘Enhancing the Quality of English Language Teaching in Ethiopian Public Universities’ and gave presentations on academic writing, as well as integrating role-playing and scenarios in the EFL classroom. Finally, I organized an intensive three-day summer camp for Ethiopian youth participating in the ACCESS Microscholarship program, which featured sports, technology, art, and project-based learning.

At the Institute of Rural Development Planning in Tanzania, during academic year 2023–2024, I conducted professional development workshops for faculty, provided teacher trainings on differentiation, virtual facilitation, and needs assessment, collaborated with specialists in library science and entrepreneurship, and introduced students and teachers to US State Department American English resources and US Embassy educational exchange programs. Furthermore, I continued to work closely with Tanzanian youth through ACCESS and supported a VIP visit from the American Ambassador to Tanzania.

The English Language Fellow Program is the premier opportunity for experienced teachers of English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) to enact meaningful and sustainable changes in the way that English is taught abroad, and is sponsored by the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), with funding provided by the US government. The English Language Fellow Program is administered by the Center for Intercultural Education and Development at Georgetown University in Washington, DC.