By Denise Cheeseman, The Daily Iowan
Kelsey O’Donnell is always on the move.
From her volunteer work with Bridging Domestic and Global Diversity in the International Studies Office to her internship with the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council, she keeps herself busy while expanding on what she learned as a double major in international studies and anthropology.
This fall, O’Donnell, a University of Iowa alum, will travel to Kinmen, Taiwan, to teach English to elementary-school students on a Fulbright scholarship.
But her road to Taiwan was not always clear.
“When I first decided to apply for the Fulbright, I actually didn’t know where I was going to apply to,” O’Donnell said. “I was more attracted to the goals of the Fulbright Program: the mutual exchange, the immersive experience … you’re living with the locals, like the locals, you’re immersed in the language. I thought it would just be a great experience.”
Her volunteer work and friendships with international students, many of whom were from China or Taiwan, prompted her to focus on those countries.