Altoona Times

Lebanon Valley College issued the following announcement on Apr. 18.

Julia Resele ’22 was named a Fulbright Finalist and will travel to Spain, where she will be an English Teaching Assistant for the upcoming year. Resele joins Lexi Kerstetter ’21 and Robbie Moul ’22 as LVC’s Fulbright recipients this year. Twenty-four LVC students have received Fulbright awards, including 14 since 2016. The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government.

“There are so many things I’m looking forward to about living and teaching abroad,” said Resele. “I would have to say immersing myself in the culture and meeting new people, including my students, is what I am looking forward to the most.”  

Resele, an early childhood education, special education, and Spanish triple major, discovered her love of traveling through two international experiences at LVC, a service-learning trip to the Dominican Republic, and a summer study abroad program in Barcelona. Both opportunities were made possible due to the stipends Resele received for being a prestigious John Bowman Allwein Scholar. 

Through the additional funding, Resele added Spanish as her third. As part of her courses in that area, she traveled to Puerto Rico and presented research alongside Dr. Gabriela McEvoy, chair of languages and associate professor of Spanish, at XXIX Congreso Internacional de Literatura y Estudios Hispanicos in March.

Reflecting on her time at LVC, Resele highlights the impact of her participation with the Flying Dutchmen cross country and track & field teams. Resele earned Middle Atlantic Conference All-Conference honors in both sports this year, and MAC Academic Honor Roll recognition. She juggles her academic and athletic commitments through frequent communication with coaches and professors, and she relies on support from her teammates. 

“Leaning on my teammates is one way I balance my academic and athletic commitments,” said Resele. “We share similar academic and athletic success and spend a lot of time studying together after practice.”

Resele also gained essential leadership skills serving as LVC Student Government president this year and as a resident assistant. She was named LVC’s Student Leader of the Year last spring, is a member of multiple honor societies, and regularly appears on LVC’s Dean’s List.

“I was an involved student in high school,” she said. “In college, I planned to focus solely on academics and running and not become as involved. That went out the window very quickly as I discovered all the opportunities outside the classroom that LVC has to offer. I genuinely did not think I would accomplish as much as I have during my college years. The support of LVC’s faculty, staff, and coaches has made this success possible.”

After completing her Fulbright year, Resele plans to embark on a teaching career, applying what she learns abroad and incorporating that culture into her classroom. She also wants to pursue additional education opportunities. 

“Throughout my four years here, I have been overwhelmed by how caring the LVC community is,” she said. “I truly think that this community directly contributes to the success of its students and is invaluable to cultivating a society of individuals who are inspired to accomplish great things outside of the classroom.”

Students interested in applying for the Fulbright Program should contact Dr. Philip Benesch at benesch@lvc.edu.

Original source can be found here.