McCarthy ’11 Awarded Fulbright Grant to Teach English in Peru

Jamie McCarthy ’11, of Stoneham, has been awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Peru, where she will teach English to Peruvian students.

A psychology and Spanish double major, McCarthy went on three different service trips to Peru with her hometown parish, St. Patrick’s, and one summer she travelled there with her younger brother.  During her summers in Peru, McCarthy worked with Solidaridad en Marcha (Solidarity in Action), a volunteer organization based in Lima that sponsors a school for physically disabled children, a free clinic in San Juan de Miraflores, and a number of pastoral centers.  Through Solidaridad en Marcha, McCarthy worked at El Centro Solidario San Pedro Apostól, a pastoral center in San Bartolo, where she joined the community as an English and art teacher.  Her frequent visits inspired her to return to Peru for an extended stay of service.

She will be working as an English teaching assistant at an institution that trains future English teachers.  During her stay, McCarthy hopes to organize a bilingual children’s choir. “I love to sing,” says McCarthy. “I think it’s one of the best ways to learn a new language and share cultures.”

On campus, McCarthy serves as a relationship peer educator, and has been actively involved with Alternate College Theater for the past four years.  In addition, she is a tutor in the Spanish workshop and has worked with Patricia Kramer, associate professor of psychology at the College, on research on emotional facial memory.

When she returns to the U.S., McCarthy plans to attend graduate school to study Spanish translation, psychology, or community development.

Each year approximately 1,000 college students are awarded grants through the Fulbright Program, the U.S. government’s flagship program in international educational exchange. Fulbright grants are made to U.S. citizens and nationals of other countries for a variety of educational activities, primarily university lecturing, advanced research, graduate study and teaching in elementary and secondary schools. Since the program’s inception in 1946, more than 250,000 participants — chosen for their leadership potential — have had the opportunity to observe each other’s political, economic and cultural institutions.

Read about this year’s other Holy Cross Fulbright Grant recipients: Francesca Bruzzese ’11, Jennifer Caffrey '11, Kerry Drury ’11, Kristen Dunlap '08, Herma Gjinko '11, William Grebe ’11, Thomas McGlynn '11, and Kathryn Simison '11 and Abigail Chorlton Riskind ’11.