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    May 07, 2021

    Fulbright Awarded to Bryan Tran ‘21

    Bryan Tran, a senior from Endicott, N.Y., has been offered a Fulbright U.S. Student Program English Teaching Assistant Grant to Vietnam. A French major with an adolescent education concentration, Bryan has taught French and English in multiple settings and has been designing extracurricular language programming since he was in high school. Because Bryan’s parents grew up in Hue, Vietnam, Bryan’s placement in Vietnam is both a teaching opportunity and a personal quest to promote cultural exchange between his parents’ homeland and the U.S.

    “For Bryan, teaching is not just his chosen profession, it is his passion,” said Deborah Cromley, Ph.D., Le Moyne’s Fulbright Program advisor and an assistant professor in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures. “Bryan’s opportunity to be a Fulbright ETA in Vietnam is professionally and personally fulfilling, and his experiences will help him to realize his dream of developing culturally diverse and inclusive pedagogy.”

    Two formative international experiences while in college have created the foundation for Bryan’s ETA grant to Vietnam. In January 2019 Bryan joined a Le Moyne service immersion trip to El Salvador. Listening to the narratives of El Salvadoran teachers involved in current issues of social justice encouraged Bryan to deepen his understanding of an educator’s responsibilities. In the fall of 2019 Bryan spent a semester abroad in Grenoble, France, where he lived with a host family, immersed himself in French culture, and solidified his commitment to becoming a language teacher.

    “When I first found out I’d received a Fulbright, I could hardly believe it,” said Bryan. “I rushed over to Dr. Cromley’s office, shaking with excitement because I knew how much this Fulbright grant would open doors for me as an educator. Two days later I drove home on a surprise visit to share the incredible news with my family, for whom my journey to Vietnam as a Fulbright grantee brings us full circle. I treasure my grandmother’s response, who told me that ever since I was a young boy, I have always led my life from the heart. I will embrace my time in Vietnam as an ETA so that I can inspire my students to follow their hearts to achieve their full potential.”

    Upon returning to the U.S., in addition to teaching French in a secondary school system, Bryan plans to obtain a Master’s degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL).

    The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.  The primary source of funding for the Fulbright Program is an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.  Participating governments, host institutions, corporations, and foundations in foreign countries and in the United States also provide direct and indirect support.  Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields.  The Program operates in over 160 countries worldwide.

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