Nicole Wells
Class of 2010
Fullbright Recipient
Hometown: Seward, Nebraska
I received my degree in History and in Political Science in 2010. Shortly after graduating I applied for, and won, a Fulbright Grant. For the 2011-2012 academic year I will be teaching English in the American Studies Program at the University of Transylvania in Brasov, Romania. My degree in History helped me to succeed in my bid for the Fulbright in two ways.
First, I became interested in Romania through a semester abroad program I took at the University of Amsterdam (History Professors at Hastings College encourage students to study abroad). Taking a History course on Romania while studying at the University sparked such an interest for me in that country and it’s tumultuous past that I applied to live and work in Romania for the next 9 months.
Secondly, my History degree contributed to a successful Fulbright application through the development of my writing skills. Both of my majors taught me to write well. This important benefit became clear during the Fulbright application process because I would not have the chance to interview; I had to ‘sell myself’ to two committees though the Grant Purpose Statement and my Personal Statement. This was the most challenging writing experience I have ever done, and my degree in History truly helped make this possibility a reality.
