Nazzaro ’10 Awarded Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Argentina

Stacy Nazzaro ’10, of Falmouth, has been awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Argentina, where she plans to merge several of her passions (Spanish, music, teaching and international relations) in three projects.

A Spanish and economics double major, Nazzaro will teach English at a Teachers Training College in an Argentine province during the March to November 2011 school year. She will also work on a supplementary cultural project titled “Promoting Multiculturalism through Song,” which includes forming a singing group to teach the English language and North American culture through song. She also plans to join an Argentine choir in the community to immerse herself in the language and culture and form a deeper relationship with the people of Argentina.

Nazzaro’s study abroad experience last year in Leon, Spain helped spur her to apply for the Fulbright. “The best part of every cultural exchange is that by learning about others we learn about ourselves,” she says. In Leon, she sang in the Coro Ángel Barja, the city’s competing youth choir. Despite returning to the United States with a better understanding of Spanish culture, she was eager to extend her love of the Spanish language into a new community and gain firsthand knowledge of Latin America.

“I love experiencing new cultures, and that may be due to the fact that my mother is an immigrant,” she explains. “She moved to the United States from the Portuguese Azores islands when she was 12 years old. Growing up with an immigrant mother has taught me to appreciate other cultures and traditions that are often lost in the U.S. melting pot.”

Her interest in teaching stems from three experiences from her college years: tutoring a third-grade Japanese immigrant the English language; tutoring two children English while she was studying abroad in Spain; and helping Holy Cross students with introductory Spanish courses.

Nazzaro’s goals are constantly evolving, but there are three things she says she can’t live without: the Spanish language, music and the ability to make a difference across cultures. She is interested in working in international economic development.

At Holy Cross, Nazzaro is a Chapel Choir leader, Christian Life Community leader, president of Sigma Delta Pi (the National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society), and organizes the Spanish Writer’s Workshop. She is also involved with the Chamber Singers and College Choir. Nazzaro co-wrote an article titled “Moral Rights Protection for the Visual Arts” in the Journal of Cultural Economics, along with Melissa Boyle, assistant professor of economics, and Debra O’Connor, assistant professor of accounting.

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 three other Holy Cross Fulbright Grant recipients: Connor Hayden '10, Kaitlyn Mearn '07, Olivia Pruszko '10, and John Vo '09.

April 21, 2010|nm