Elementary Education student receives Fulbright Award

Amyah Seybert, who will be receiving her degree in Elementary Education this Saturday, is a recent recipient of the Fulbright Award. With this award, she will be traveling to Bulgaria to teach English. Amyah will also be one of the featured student speakers at Spring Commencement this Saturday, May 10, during the 1:30 PM ceremony!

Teacher & Special Education professors, Shane Cavanaugh and Kathryn Dirkin, both wrote reference letters for Amyah’s Fulbright application after accompanying her, along with many other TSE students, during the Ireland study abroad trip in the summer of 2023.  

“I first got to know Amyah as her professor and faculty study abroad leader for TSE’s Ireland program in May of 2023,” says Professor Cavanaugh. “Amyah was not only an exceptional student, but also an integral member of our study abroad community. She was always kind and helpful to her CMU classmates and the children she worked with during her Irish classroom placement.”

The Fulbright is a national scholarship award that allows U.S. citizens to conduct research, study or teach abroad. Amyah will be using her scholarship to spend a year in Bulgaria where she will be teaching English at a school in the capital city, Sofia. She will be teaching grades 5-9. 

Professor Cavanaugh also served as Amyah’s Honors Capstone advisor, helping her design and analyze research she conducted on the experiences of her classmates in the TSE Ireland program. Amyah presented, “How Short-Term Irish Classroom Placements Influence American Teacher Education Students’ Thoughts about Teaching,” at CMU’s Student Creative and Research Endeavors Exhibition (SCREE) this past spring. Professor Cavanaugh adds, “Amyah is an outstanding scholar and teacher, and we are so proud of her!”

"Overall, my time with the college of education has been amazing," says Amyah. "From studying abroad and then completing my honors capstone with Dr. Cavanaugh I feel truly blessed to be graduating from this program!"

Amyah was supported by the CMU National Scholarship Program throughout the application process. Approximately 2,000 U.S. students, artists and young professionals receive Fulbright U.S. Student Grants annually to pursue graduate study, conduct research and teach English abroad in more than 140 countries worldwide. Students are selected based on their academic and professional record, host country-specific preferences, cultural competency, and the applicant’s potential to further the Fulbright goal of building mutual understanding between people of the U.S. and other countries.