Case Baumwart β25 is the most recent graduate from ΊΪΑΟΙη to receive an English Teaching Assistantship (ETA) from the . Baumwart will teach English in a secondary school or university in Costa Rica and serve as a cultural ambassador for the United States. He is the 27th Fulbright awardee from ΊΪΑΟΙη since 2010.
Baumwart first learned about the ETA program through a Fulbright Language Teaching Assistant from Argentina who was working in the ΊΪΑΟΙη Spanish department. He was immediately intrigued by the prestigious award. βI liked how it allows students to functionally study abroad while receiving a stipend and gaining work experience,β he said. βEarning a Fulbright became my goal, and Iβm excited to teach and learn more about Costa Rican culture.β
The urban studies major chose to apply to Costa Rica because of the countryβs innovative approach to sustainability and conservation. βCosta Rica has a well-developed environmental plan,β he said. βItβs a very sustainable country, and it has effective governance on those issues. I wanted to be in the periphery of that space and learn more about that success.β
Baumwart credits several experiences during his time at ΊΪΑΟΙη with making him a strong candidate for the Fulbright program. He worked as a teaching assistant in both political science and the art and art history departments and as a peer mentor in the Global Engagement Office, where he advised students on study abroad opportunities. He also studied abroad himself in Chile during his junior year and participated in a 2.5-week TREK program to Argentina.
His qualifications impressed the campus Fulbright committee, which included Beth Derderian, assistant professor of anthropology and museum studies, and John Siewert, associate professor of art and art history. βCase was an outstanding candidate for the Fulbright for a number of reasons,β Derderian said. βFirst, Fulbrighters are excellent students who maintain very high GPAs, and Case was no exception. Second, Case prepared an excellent project. His humility and genuine interest in building connections and learning from Costa Ricans shone through in his application.β
Baumwartβs time in Chile was particularly impactful. He studied in the city of ValparaΓso, where thousands of families live in informal settlements. After returning to campus, he decided to focus his Independent Study on the rise of these communities and how they are impacted by urban wildfires. He analyzed demographic data and spatial data on fire incidents to find a correlation between the characteristics of settlements and their proximity to wildfires.
ΊΪΑΟΙηβs signature I.S. program is one of the many reasons the College has been so successful at producing Fulbright recipients, Derderian noted. βOur students know how to develop a research project from their I.S., so they are able to develop an appropriate project for a Fulbright grant,β she said. βTheir completed I.S. projects are also a testament to their ability to work independently and design and execute large-scale projects, which convinces review committees that these students will thrive on a Fulbright.β
Baumwart plans to earn a masterβs degree in urban and regional planning or public policy after his time in Costa Rica. Eventually he hopes to pursue a career in environmental policy or management.
Established in 1946, the Fulbright Program fosters mutual understanding between the people of the U.S. and people of other countries. The U.S. Congress appropriates funds to the U.S. Department of State each year to sponsor the program. About 8,000 students, faculty members, scholars, and professionals from the United States and over 160 countries receive awards each year to study, teach, and conduct research abroad.
Featured image: Case Baumwart β25, provided by the subject.