Jared Steiman isn't 100% clear on all the details of what winning a prestigious Fulbright award will entail, but the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga graduate and employee knows he will spend about nine months in Mexico teaching English and soaking up as much culture as he can.
Steiman, 25, is a "pandemic graduate" and graduated from UTC in 2020 with bachelor's degrees in international studies and creative writing. He said he began learning Spanish because of his wife, Alondra Gomez Nuñez, and this latest adventure in his career and life merges his passions.
"I'll be placed somewhere in Mexico," he said by phone. "I've not been informed yet exactly where, but I'll be paired with an institution and join with a professor or assistant. But this means a lot to me for a lot of reasons. My wife and her family are from Mexico. My life has been built around Latin American culture and my passion for teaching and education and poetry."
He said the Fulbright award will cover his expenses for room, travel and board and that the dollar amount varies depending on where a recipient goes.
He said he began working on his application in August with the help of Leslie Pusey in the Office of National Scholarships at UTC.
"It's an intense process with essays and applications and recommendations," he said.
Pusey said by phone that she planted the seed for Steiman to think about applying in late 2019, though he couldn't officially apply until he'd gotten his bachelor's degree.
"I really didn't have to do much hand-holding with Jared because he is such an incredible writer," she said.
She said he became a great help to her by working with other UTC applicants on their applications.
"He took on a role as another me, really," she said.
Steiman will be in Mexico for essentially nine months beginning in September and he said he is excited to bring back whatever he learns and incorporate that into his next adventures in writing and teaching.
"I really look forward to coming back with those skills," he said.
Steiman works as a program coordinator in the UTC Center for Community Career Education and is the second UTC alumnus in recent weeks to be awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship.
The Fulbright Program is an international academic exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government, providing awards to approximately 8,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists and professionals each year, according to a news release. Founded in 1946, the Fulbright Program has partnerships with more than 140 countries worldwide.
Steiman's win marks the first time two UTC-affiliated honorees have won Fulbright Scholarships during the same cycle.
Last month, May 2022 graduate Oleander Reagan-Artemis received a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Romania. In spring 2019, political science major Simone Edwards became the school's first Fulbright recipient since 1965, traveling to Guatemala for her study abroad experience.
The following year, political science major Hannah Horton was selected as a Fulbright Scholar to South Korea.
Steiman is a Chattanooga native and a graduate of the Center for Creative Arts. He is pursuing a master's degree in creative writing.
Gear Up was designed to provide support and resources to low-income students and increase access to post-secondary opportunities, according to a news release. Steiman rejoined the program in a full-time capacity in April 2022.
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.