Growing up, Parker Carwile dreamed of traveling to other countries and connecting with different cultures. Inspired by her teachers, she also wanted to become an English instructor who helped students learn through literature.
Now, as a recipient of the prestigious Fulbright English Teaching Assistant grant, Carwile will get to marry her two greatest passions as she heads to South Korea.
鈥淎mazing is not a word that even touches how I felt when I received this award,鈥� said Carwile, who earned an M.Ed. in curriculum and instruction from the University of Houston College of Education in 2019.
Designed to build relationships between the United States and other countries, the Fulbright U.S. Student Program has given over 400,000 students, teachers, artists and others the opportunity to learn, exchange ideas and help address international concerns.
Carwile is one of 10 recent UH graduates and alumni to receive Fulbright grants for the 2021-22 academic year. The scholarship will allow her to teach English in South Korea, act as a cultural ambassador and perform community outreach.
Carwile, an English teacher at Channelview High School, said she looks forward to connecting her students to the Korean students she鈥檒l be instructing later this year. The exchange will help the Korean students improve their English skills and give the students in America an opportunity to embrace another culture.
鈥淚鈥檇 love to show them, 鈥楬ere鈥檚 a real person from this culture, and now you can learn from each other,鈥欌�� Carwile said.
Using her contacts and eight years of experience in tae kwon do, she also plans to join or create a kumdo or martial arts program in South Korea and connect it to the Houston-area kendo community. While at UH, Carwile practiced the martial art through the campus club Cougar Kendo.
鈥淏eing a cultural ambassador is not only sharing my culture and getting students and locals excited about where I鈥檓 from, it鈥檚 also learning from them about their culture,鈥� Carwile said.
Inspired by her time in Houston鈥檚 Koreatown, she connected with the Houston Korean Education Center and found a language partner to teach her Korean while she helped the partner with English.
A Louisianian, she said her time in Houston prepared her for the Fulbright opportunity.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 really have any connection to communities from other countries until UH,鈥� she said. 鈥�I feel like if we can understand each other more, we can help build each other up, cultivate that alliance, and the best way to do that is through education.鈥�
鈥� By Lillian Hoang
鈥� Photo courtesy of Parker Carwile