Sarah Blumberg (B.S. ’16, Biological Sciences; B.A. ’16, Spanish) Awarded Fulbright Fellowship
Blumberg plans to volunteer to teach yoga and meditation in addition to English
University of Maryland alumna Sarah Blumberg (B.S. ’16, biological sciences; B.A. ’16, Spanish) has been awarded a 2017-18 Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in Spain.
In addition to teaching English, Blumberg would like to implement an after-school mindfulness meditation program for students and teachers at her assigned school. She also hopes to volunteer to teach yoga with a social service organization such as the Red Cross.
“I’m excited about the Fulbright because I really love teaching,” Blumberg said. “It’s really rewarding to make connections with students, whether we’re working on intellectual or physical skills.”
Blumberg chose to major in biological sciences with the intention of pursuing medical school. She participated in health-related service opportunities, such as helping children with developmental disabilities work on language, social, motor and behavioral skills at Basic Concepts, a Rockville, Maryland-based center offering children’s speech language and educational services.
“I was motivated to do speech therapy because it combines my interest in linguistics with my interests in the medical field and working with people, particularly children,” Blumberg said.
Blumberg, who has studied Spanish since the seventh grade, also found opportunities to use her language skills. She conducted workshops in Spanish with the mentoring program America Reads*America Counts, teaching literacy strategies to Latino families in underserved areas.
“I eventually realized that I wanted to be able to work in a bilingual setting in my future career,” Blumberg explained. “That’s why I added the Spanish degree and why I chose to apply for a Fulbright in Spain.”
When she returns from Spain, Blumberg plans to pursue a career in health care, possibly in speech therapy. She also hopes to volunteer as a medical translator and yoga teacher.
“I hope that living and working in Spain will solidify my Spanish to the point where I can work with it professionally,” Blumberg said. “And I can’t wait to be immersed in another culture and open my mind to a new perspective on the world."
