CMU alumna receives Fulbright Grant

Moving from a small town to a large Chicago suburb during elementary school was a big transition for Cara Neidenbach. She became friends with first- and second-generation immigrants and was introduced to many different cultures.

 “The diverse perspectives I was exposed to as I grew up made me more curious and helped me see myself in relation to the many communities around me,” she said. “I began to intentionally interact with those who came from other countries and had distinct cultures different from my own.”

Neidenbach, a ’24 CMU graduate, from Aurora, IL, received a Bachelor of Science in education. She will take her teaching skills to Germany this fall with a prestigious Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) grant.

“While I majored in social studies education, it is my hope to become an English language specialist who primarily works with multilingual students. This grant gives me the opportunity to practice effective teaching strategies and develop relationships with students that will influence my future career,” she said.

Fulbright U.S. Student Grants provide funding for graduate study, conducting research, or teaching English abroad in more than 140 countries worldwide. Fulbright recipients are selected based on their academic and professional record, host country-specific preferences, and cultural competency. Neidenbach received support from the CMU  National Scholarship Program throughout the application process. 

Neidenbach is excited to fulfill the Fulbright goal of building mutual understanding between people of the U.S. and other countries by engaging with her German host community in various  ways.

“I am looking forward to improving my German conversation skills through daily interactions from neighbors to strangers at the grocery store,” she said. “I am a musician and rock climber, so I would love to make new friends who enjoy those things. I think it could also be fun to create a conversation hour club like our Stammtisch at CMU.”

Neidenbach is grateful for the support that she received throughout her undergraduate training.

“I am so thankful for Dr. Richter and the Stammtisch group at CMU for providing an encouraging community to practice German. I’m thankful for my family and friends who have kept up with the roller coaster of a path that got me here. Lastly, I want to thank everyone involved with the CMU Writing Center; I am confident I will be successful as an English Teaching Assistant because of the variety of skills I built working as a consultant there,” she said.