End of stay - Caitlyn Garcia - USA Fulbright scholarship

During the 2024/2025 academic year, we hosted Caitlyn (Cady) Garcia - a Fulbright scholar, the largest scholarship program in the United States - within the walls of our University.

Within the framework of the cooperation agreement between the Polish-American Fulbright Commission based in Warsaw and our University, Caitlyn supported the conduct of general English classes in selected groups in various fields of study. Ms. Karolina Pawlak, MA (Padogogical Institute) and Dominika Pluta, MA (Department of Science and International Cooperation) were responsible for organizing the classes and her stay at our University.

On June 23, 2025, a brief farewell meeting was held with the University Authorities. Mr. Rector was represented by Mr. Vice Rector for Education - Damian Kędziora, M.Sc., who presented Caitlyn with a Diploma of Appreciation for her commitment and cooperation as a Fulbright Program grantee and a small gift. Students and staff at the university also organized get-togethers to thank Cady for their work together.

Throughout the academic year, all students and employees of our University had the opportunity to participate in conversation classes conducted by Cady as part of the Academic Discussion Club, as well as in individual “tailor-made” lessons and language consultations.

Our scholarship holder actively promoted American culture, presenting her country during open lectures aimed at both students and high school students from Leszno and the surrounding area. These meetings were held as part of events such as Open Doors and International Days. Cady actively participated in all the university events.

In addition, Cady has volunteered to teach children and young adults at the ENTER Foreign Language Institute, as well as participating in language camps run by the Institute.

In addition to her studies and education, Cady also had the opportunity to travel in Poland and other European countries, which made her stay a unique time of not only educational, but also rich cultural experiences. These numerous trips allowed her to better understand the diversity and multiculturalism of European cultures, which in turn enriched her perspective as a teacher and ambassador for her country.

Caitlyn Garcia's presence at our University was not only a valuable teaching support, but also an inspiring cross-cultural experience for the entire academic community. Her commitment, openness and passion for teaching left a lasting mark and certainly contributed to improving the language skills and broadening the horizons of our students and staff.

It is also worth mentioning that recently, at the Center for American Studies at the University of Warsaw, a graduation ceremony was held for all Fulbright program grantees, including the English Teaching Assistant (ETA) grantees. The participants received congratulations and certificates of completion from the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, Mr. Andrzej Szeptycki, and the Plenipotentiary of the US Ambassador to Poland, Mr. Daniel Lawton. Our scholarship recipient Caitlyn Garcia, who was an English teaching assistant at our university for the entire 2024/2025 academic year, also officially ended her scholarship. We sincerely congratulate Caitlyn and thank her for her contribution to the academic life of our community - for the kindness and positive energy she brought on a daily basis.

This is not the end of our University's cooperation with the Polish-American Fulbright Commission, as we have again been selected for the English Teaching Assistant program for the 2025/2026 academic year. This time we will be hosting scholarship recipient Dylan Moucka, who comes from Colorado.