Columbus State University graduate Brittany Parker is South Korea-bound again after being accepted into the Fulbright Korea English Teaching Assistant (ETA) Program.

The prestigious honor awards Parker with a grant that allows her to live and teach for a year in South Korea.

Parker graduated Cum Laude from the Schwob School of Music at Columbus State University in

Fall 2019. She received a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Music (Voice), a Linguistic minor, and an International Studies Certificate. She has already participated in two study abroad programs in South Korea, one of which is the TESOL internship program in which she experienced teaching English abroad.  Parker says she believes the previous awards enhanced her chances for being awarded the Fulbright Scholarship.

“The TESOL program has afforded me the opportunity to participate in an internship to

teach in South Korea to all age groups. This opportunity enabled me to get

hands-on teaching experience and also immerses me in Korean culture. I truly

believe the CSU TESOL program enhanced my chances in being selected for and

chosen to receive the Fulbright Scholarship,” said Parker. 

Brittany served as an officer for the Korean Pop Culture while at CSU and completed her TESOL certificate.

The English Teaching Assistant (ETA) Programs place Fulbrighters in classrooms abroad to provide assistance to the local English teachers. ETAs help teach English language while serving as cultural ambassadors for the U.S.  The program is a 12-month long grant funded by the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) and the Korean Ministry of Education (MOE) along with its partnering Korean Boards of Education and local host institutions.

                               About the Fulbright Scholar Program

In September 1945, freshman Senator J. William Fulbright from Arkansas, introduced a bill in the U.S. Congress that called for the use of proceeds from the sales of surplus war property to fund the “promotion of international good will through the exchange of students in the fields of education, culture and science.” One year later, President Harry S. Truman signed the Fulbright Act into law.