Mirta Valdés-Bradner is a World Language Spanish Educator in Ridgely, Maryland. She is also a 2024 NEA Foundation Global Learning Fellow. Last month, she was interviewed by Lillie Marshall of Teaching Traveling, a blog focused on global education and international opportunities for educators. Here is a segment of the interview:
Teaching Traveling: Tell us one moment from your NEA Foundation Costa Rica travels that was particularly powerful.
Mirta: Being part of the NEA Foundation Global Learning Fellowship and forming friendships with the other 48 educators was the most profound part of the journey for me. Of course, it was also wonderful seeing how we can apply the Sustainable Development Goals to our lessons, and knowing the importance of global competency was the center of this fellowship.
One great moment was that I got to see again a former teacher from high school who moved to Costa Rica almost 40 years ago. It was profound to see how she and others have impacted my career choice, and fostered my passion for teaching!
Teaching Traveling: How did funding for the NEA Foundation GLF work?
Mirta: The NEA Foundation Global Learning Fellowship to Costa Rica was fully funded by the NEA Foundation. This year, I applied for a grant for 2025 to attend a world language conference in Panama.
I encourage you to explore the NEA Foundation Grants and Fellowships page for funding opportunities for many realms of education. There are many more NEA Foundation opportunities beyond the Global Learning Fellowship!
Read the full interview on Teaching Traveling!
2024 NEA Foundation Global Learning Fellows at Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica
