by Kelsey Harrell, The Daily Iowan
UI Fulbright scholar Tom Bowman will use his English teaching assistant award to live in Bulgaria and help students further their proficiency in English.
Bowman will live in Bulgaria until the end of June. While he is there, he will work in a high-school classroom and help students prepare for a national speech and debate tournament through the Bulgarian English Speech Tournament Foundation. He will also work with students to prepare for spelling competitions and teach private speaking lessons.
“My interest in working in international affairs caused me to pursue a Fulbright Grant in teaching,” Bowman said. “I wanted to experience what it’s like to work in a country where the language is not familiar to me.”
Karen Wachsmuth, the Fulbright Program adviser for the UI, helped Bowman through his journey to receiving the grant. She works with students from the time they are merely thinking about applying for a Fulbright to the time they submit their applications.