Aurora Speltz, a 2024 graduate of WKU’s Potter College of Arts and Letters having studied Spanish, International Affairs, and Asian Religions and Cultures, has been awarded a Fulbright U.S. Student Program Research Award to teach English in Jordan starting in January 2027.

Speltz, the daughter of Dr. Heather Campbell-Speltz and Darrell Speltz, of Richmond, KY, currently works as an English Teaching Assistant through the Lectores Entrantes program at the University of Catsilla-La Mancha in Albacete, Spain. However, Speltz has long been interested in returning to Jordan after first studying abroad in the country in 2021.

Speltz shared that she loved her time in Jordan and found the people she met there incredibly welcoming and warm but was limited in her experience of the country due the COVID-19 pandemic. In going back she’s particularly excited to be able to improve her Arabic proficiency through immersion, experience important religious and cultural events like Ramadan and learn more about the literary and arts scene in Jordan.

Speltz also sees this Fulbright opportunity to teach in Jordan as part of a larger professional journey. “My professional goals include being able to offer interpreting services in both Spanish and Arabic and working with refugee and recent immigrant populations in the U.S., and Arabic will become increasingly important for that in the coming decades,” she explained. Speltz has previously worked as a Spanish Medical Interpreter for Pure Language Services in Lexington, providing in person medical interpreting services in primarily the UK Healthcare system. Now, she’s back to developing her Arabic. “Being immersed in the language will go a long way to helping me reach those goals.”

In developing this career path, Speltz had worked with OSD during her undergrad a few times, and while she wasn’t ultimately chosen for those programs, she was able to “hone my goals and better understand my values through the application processes, and I am grateful for all the time [OSD] spent helping me refine those ideas!” She started making deliberate choices to develop professionally and personally to prepare her to reach those goals and make her more competitive for the Fulbright Award. “So in that way, all my work with OSD over the years really feels like it was building to this moment. But I also know that I have made deliberate professional choices to make myself more competitive for this award,” Speltz added.

Speltz also acknowledged a strong network of additional support that has helped her along this pathway. “I would love to thank my advisors who wrote me letters of rec for [Fulbright], including Dr. Timothy Rich, Dr. Inmaculada Pertusa, Nesma Soliman, and Dr. David DiMeo … Without their guidance, encouragement, and support throughout my college career and afterwards, I would not have gotten to this point. WKU SAGL helped me go to Jordan the first time around, and I am endlessly grateful to them for their support. The Department of Modern Languages helped lay the foundations for my language skills, and the relationship Dr. Pertusa established between WKU and the University of Castilla-La Mancha has allowed me to develop the expertise necessary to be successful as an ETA. But I would say I am the most indebted to the Mahurin Honors College … The skills I gained and opportunities I had during my time at the MHC made me more confident, a better communicator, and a better leader, and I will continue to reap the rewards for decades to come.”

Speltz joins a 75-year legacy of Hilltoppers who have participated in the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government that is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.  

Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields. Students and recent alumni interested in learning more can register their interest here and stay tuned to @wku_osd on Instagram for additional information from the Office of Scholar Development. The campus deadline for completed applications is September 1.

About the Fulbright Program: The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to forge lasting connections between the people of the United States and the people of other countries, counter misunderstandings, and help people and nations work together toward common goals. Since its establishment in 1946, the Fulbright Program has enabled more than 450,000 dedicated and accomplished students, scholars, artists, teachers, and professionals of all backgrounds to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas, and find solutions to shared international concerns in more than 160 countries worldwide. 

About the Office of Scholar Development: OSD mentors students and alumni applying for nationally competitive scholarships for “academic extras” such as study abroad, research, professional experience, and more. From first drafts to final submissions with multiple revisions in between, OSD helps students make more possible. By conceptualizing and revising the stories they tell in application essays and interviews, students and alumni better understand their strengths, interests, and purpose — and explore multiple possible pathways to that work. 

Contact: Anna Mayo, anna.mayo@wku.edu