Rose DuCharme ‘14 is excited about promoting cultural exchange — and she’s doing just that as a 2014 Fulbright English Teaching Assistant grant recipient. The fellowship gives DuCharme the opportunity to teach English and volunteer in Luxembourg, set up an exchange with her hometown, and explore the literature of her adoptive country.
“The Fulbright program seemed like the ideal way to combine my interests while immersing myself in another community,” says DuCharme, an English and French studies dual major from Boulder, Colo. “I chose Luxembourg because it has a unique mix of international cultural influence from France, Germany, and recent immigrants yet also maintains its own rich heritage.”
DuCharme, who served as editor-in-chief of [in]Visible Magazine and co-founded the Claremont Colleges Literary Society, lists professor Cheryl Walker’s “Hawthorne, Melville, and James,” professor France Lemoine’s “Proust,” and professor Aaron Matz’s “Modern British Novel” courses among her favorite; she also cites professor Thierry Boucquey’s Core III foreign language teaching class with encouraging her interest in a teaching career.
“I loved the classes I took at Scripps, particularly in that they challenged me to reflect on social issues and think beyond one set discipline,” says DuCharme. “I was already interested in literature and culture, and my classes in English and French made me realize the extent to which social issues are addressed through writing.”
During her off-campus study experience in Nantes, France, DuCharme became interested in exploring the connections between cultures. “It taught me the value of being immersed in another society and examining life with a different mindset,” she says. “Even the subtle differences in academics and daily life in France made me reflect on how I viewed the world; it also fueled my interest in promoting cultural exchange.”
When it came to the Fulbright application process itself, DuCharme took full advantage of the support offered by Scripps faculty and staff. She particularly thanks Career Planning & Resources’ Valinda Lee, professors Gretchen Edwalds-Gilbert and Rosann Simeroth, and the Office of Off-Campus Study for their feedback and advice.
After Fulbright, DuCharme plans to jump right back into the academic world and will apply to Master’s programs in English literature for the fall of 2015.