Sierra Takushi ’21 of Minneapolis, Minnesota, has been awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant grant to Thailand.

Takushi, a race, ethnicity, and migration studies major and education minor, will be an assistant teacher in Thailand for 12 months, with her position beginning in late September 2021.

“This Fulbright award is the greatest gift; I am humbled by the opportunity to live and teach in my mother's home country,” she says. “My mother is an immigrant from the Chachoengsao Province of Thailand, and for the past four years, I have been working on rebuilding my relationship with my mother and my severed ties with my Thai culture. I am honored with the chance to reconnect with my culture, my people, and my family through this Fulbright award.”

Takushi credits Chelsea Walter, the cultural and linguistic diversity education specialist at Colorado College, with introducing her to teaching English as a second language in her course, Teaching Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Learners. The class introduces students to theories, applications, and issues related to teaching English as a Second Language.

She also credits Walter with encouraging her to apply for the Fulbright and says she was a key supporter throughout the application process.

Takushi has a personal blog, where she writes “culturally sensitive, conscientious travel writing reflections on my travels.” Her most recent blog series was about her travels to Thailand to visit family. “Visiting family, spending time in Thailand, and reflecting on my connection to people and place, all was integral to my decision to apply for the Fulbright,” she says.

Takushi  also serves as a senior ambassador of outreach and access for the CC Office of Admission. She was one of a record 12 Colorado College Fulbright semifinalists this year, selected from more than 11,700 applications, representing a 12% increase from the 2019-20 application cycle.