Katrina Wolfe (BA ethics and public policy ‘26) is the recipient of a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to North Macedonia for 2026-27.   
 

Hometown: Iowa City, Iowa 
 

Could you give us a synopsis of what you'll be doing with your Fulbright?   

I will be serving as an English teaching assistant in North Macedonia. In addition to classroom teaching, I hope to host a weekly radio show through the local university. 
 

How do you envision this will influence your life/future career? 

As an ethics and public policy major, I am interested in how policy decisions shape everyday lives and institutions across cultures. A Fulbright experience will deepen that understanding by placing me in a new national context and giving me the opportunity to work directly in the community, building my confidence and adaptability while observing how values, governance, and community needs intersect. 
 

What advice do you have for students interested in applying for a Fulbright? 

Use the Writing Center! My revision process for my essays felt endless (and occasionally hopeless), but we have an incredible staff at the Writing Center who helped me find my voice within rigid essay formats and tight word counts. With their help, I was able to shape a narrative that sounded like me and genuinely reflected my experience. 
 

Were there experiences at Iowa that inspired you to pursue a Fulbright? 

I always knew I wanted to travel and work abroad after graduation, but my experience as a peer tutor in the Writing Fellows Program at the University of Iowa gave that goal a clear direction.  Working closely with students to help them strengthen their writing skills and gain confidence showed me how meaningful it can be to support people developing their voice and communication skills. Helping people find the language to express themselves on paper and making genuine connections within the Writing Center was incredibly rewarding and gave me the practical skills to see myself succeeding in a classroom next year.  
 

Are there individuals you'd like to thank for their investment in this process? 

I would love to thank Carol Severino, Ruben Cota, and Elise Prendergast for their thoughtful letters of recommendation. I’m also deeply grateful to Karen Wachsmuth, Sylvia Dean, and the rest of the Fulbright staff for their support and guidance. Thank you to my mom for being wonderfully patient and my best editor. And thank you to everyone I’ve ever met in a youth hostel for making the world feel a little bigger and more exciting! 

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