Vanessa Lent, of Green Bay, Wisconsin, is a graduate student in Spanish literature and graduate instructor of record in the 100-200 level of Spanish. A 2022 summa cum laude UA Honors College graduate, she earned her bachelor’s degree in biology with minors in Spanish and Blount Scholars liberal arts.
Following her selection as a Fulbright semifinalist during the 2022-2023 award cycle, she reapplied for the same Fulbright position and was awarded an English Teaching Assistantship grant to Costa Rica during the 2023-2024 award cycle. The goal of the Fulbright program is to foster mutual understanding between countries and create collaborative working relationships among international educators. Her 10-month Fulbright grant begins in January of 2024 and will conclude in November of that same year.
Vanessa will be assisting in English classrooms at 3 universities in Ciudad Quesada and the surrounding rural area: El Instituto Nacional de Aprendizaje (Ciudad Quesada), La Universidad Técnica Nacional (Ciudad Quesada), and El Instituto Nacional de Aprendizaje (La Marina). As a part of her grant, she also had to propose a supplementary project to complete during her time in Costa Rica. Vanessa plans to utilize her background in biology and personal interests in tourism to volunteer with local environmental initiatives that focus on sustainable development and the implementation of ecotourism strategies. In her free time, she plans to connect with her host community through dance classes, photography, hiking and painting.
Following the completion of her grant, Vanessa will return to UA in the spring of 2025 to complete her master’s degree. She has plans to remain in the international education sphere upon graduation, with intentions of pursuing multidisciplinary projects that connect biological sciences, tourism, and Spanish/English pedagogy.