Imagine Fulbright: Alumna Lexi Wesselhoff’s adventures in Taichung, Taiwan
Far from rural life in her hometown of Belvidere, Illinois, Lexi Wesselhoff ’16 is in the city of Taichung, Taiwan as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA). Taichung is located in the central area of Taiwan. Ms. Wesselhoff’s 350-student school sits on the outskirts with a beautiful view of the mountains. As far as her ETA position, she co-teaches 17 classes a week and solo teaches one third and fourth grade class, in addition traveling to a different school for a weekly English camp with two other ETAs. “At my school, I also get to participate in ukulele club, Taiko drumming, board game club, and I have gone through the first-grade Chinese textbook,” she says about her involvement. She says her placement has struck a culinary chord as well, with many local specialties to taste. “I love the food!” she says. “I can’t stop eating scallion pancakes or soup dumplings.” 
Ms. Wesselhoff enjoys exploring the Taichung area whenever she gets the chance. “Taichung has great access to the mountains with many beautiful hikes!” she wrote. Even before being placed, Ms. Wesselhoff spoke of her excitement to participate in sports with the locals and hike around the beautiful landscapes Taiwan has to offer. As Ms. Wesselhoff makes an effort to constant immerse herself in new places and cultures, she has also seized the opportunity to travel to other parts of Taiwan, and outside of Taiwan with her roommate to visit Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, and Hiroshima in Japan, and also the islands of Thailand.
After Fulbright, Ms. Wesselhoff plans to pursue further education and a career in pediatric occupational therapy. She says, “as I have grown to realize my strengths lie in engaging with others, I have chosen to pursue a career in occupational therapy for children with disabilities. I have worked as a special recreation camp counselor, with behavioral therapy companies, and as a substitute teacher.” She hopes to use her experiences in Taiwan, in addition to her previous experiences as a Psychology major, a member of InterVarsity, and working in behavioral therapy, to be able to help children of varying levels of disabilities.
From her hometown, to J-Term trips in India and Guatemala, and a year spent in Colorado after graduation, Ms. Wesselhoff has been passionate about working with children of all abilities. She has served as a substitute teacher, a camp counselor, a youth group leader, and as a behavioral therapist for children with autism. Her trip to India in 2016 inspired a wish to return to Asia and led her to apply for her Fulbright position. Both J-Term trips challenged what she thought she knew about culture, economy, religion, and society, and taught her the value of being able to communicate with and understand a wide variety of cultures. Because of this value, she set up a video exchange program with her mother’s seventh grade class in her hometown and her own students in Taichung so both groups of kids are able to experience a culture different from theirs. As she wrote in her application to the Fulbright program, “Since language is a powerful tool, this small step of fostering communication could lead to big opportunities in our future. It ideally leads us to a more peaceful, collaborative world with a decreased language barrier and expanded understanding.”
Established in 1946, the Fulbright Program aims to increase mutual understanding between the peoples of the United States and other countries through the exchange of persons, knowledge and skills. It is the largest U.S. international exchange program offering opportunities for students, scholars, and professionals to undertake international graduate study, advanced research, and teaching in elementary, secondary, and post-secondary schools worldwide. The Fulbright Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, and fellowships are available to American students wishing to spend a year or more abroad after college to teach, conduct scholarly research, or engage in creative projects.
Carthage students interested in Fulbright opportunities should contact Prof. Dan Choffness, Fulbright Program Adviser.