Allison Gish '20 has been awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant grant to the Czech Republic.

An English major with a minor in studio art, Gish will work as an English teaching assistant in a vocational or general secondary school in a rural area of the Czech Republic, although she is not yet sure which town. Gish also will serve as a cultural ambassador, teaching classes and workshops that relate culture to language.

She chose to apply for the ETA in the Czech Republic because she wanted to engage with her Czech heritage. Gish plans to pursue an intensive study of the Czech language, and, as an avid amateur baker, hopes to establish a relationship with a local bakery where she can learn about the Czech traditions of bread baking while connecting with the community. "I also hope to visit my family's legendary bitters distillery in the Bohemia region," she says.

"Because the Czech Republic has one of the most efficient educational systems in the world, I feel it will be an ideal place for me to learn about being an educator," says Gish. "It will be a pivotal opportunity to practice skills I already have learned, to grow as a teacher learning from others and experience, and to hone my identity as an individual living in an interconnected world. Ultimately, I hope that the Fulbright ETA will become a vessel for becoming connected to a community and its members."

While at Colorado College, Gish served as one of the managers of the Sacred Grounds teahouse, was a printer at The Press at Colorado College where she worked on posters, and served as a student member of The Press committee.

During the summers, Gish, who is from Vail, Colorado, worked with Vail Mountain School's SummerQuest summer school program and the literacy project of Eagle County.