Mia Azizah of Lincoln was awarded a Fulbright grant to teach English in Temor-Leste. Azizah graduated from UNL in May of 2020 after studying Advertising/Public Relations and Journalism and minoring in Political Science. Her time at UNL put her in a well-equipped place to take on international teaching, she served as a writing consultant in the UNL writing center where she helped develop writing skills in international students.
Teaching in Temor-Leste will give Azizah the chance to connect with her birthplace of Indonesia. Her native language, Bahasa Indonesia, is spoken in Temor-Leste alongside Tetum and Portuguese. This award will aid Azizah in her goal of “operating and working in higher education to assist students who know multiple languages.”
In addition to her work in the classroom, Azizah plans to lead a student newspaper and engage with local artists who are a part of the East Timor Development Agency—a program that helps Timorese grow in their economic independence and business skills. The skills gained from these various experiences will allow Azizah to return to Nebraska teaching English as a second language to fulfill the needs of writers in the refugee and immigrant community.
