Maya McDermott '26 Earns Fulbright to Argentina

What are you looking forward to the most with your Fulbright? 
I spent a semester studying abroad in Buenos Aires in the spring of 2025, and absolutely fell in love with the capital city and the country as a whole. I’m thrilled to return to Argentina and potentially experience living in a different part of the country. 

I’m also looking forward to getting to know my students and further immersing myself in Argentine culture. I studied Spanish throughout my entire time at Oberlin, so I’m excited to continue to improve my Spanish-speaking skills and live again in a country I’ve come to embrace and deeply appreciate.

How did Oberlin shape or influence you to pursue the Fulbright?
My time at Oberlin completely informed my decision to pursue a Fulbright, particularly my experience in the SITES program. I learned about SITES through the Hispanic Studies department. While I had little to no teaching experience prior to starting the program, I was interested in working with children and thought it would be an interesting way to practice Spanish outside of the classroom. In SITES, I gained the pedagogical skills to teach to a variety of different ages, as well as learned the challenges and rewards of being an educator. I’ve also worked as a teaching assistant and tutor for HISP 101 and 102 classes in the college. Through this experience, I’ve discovered how much I enjoy working with college students, which is especially exciting as I prepare to do just that during my Fulbright in Argentina.

How does pursuing the Fulbright align with your post-college life and career goals? 
While I’m not fully settled on my post-college career path, I’m interested in potentially attending graduate school for public policy with a focus in educational policy. With Fulbright, I hope to deepen my understanding of how a different country approaches issues such as education, governance, and social equity. This experience will allow me to bring to a future role a more global and inclusive approach to policy analysis and development. 

What’s the best advice you’ve received from your Oberlin faculty mentor?
During my first semester in SITES, I was overcomplicating my lessons to compensate for the anxiety I felt about not being qualified enough to take on this new role. When I expressed this to Professor Kim Faber, the founder and head of the SITES program, she reassured me it was okay to feel nervous and trial and error was all part of the process. Through this conversation, I realized my biggest obstacle to becoming a confident teacher wasn’t a lack of qualifications, but self-doubt. 

This moment speaks to the solid and unwavering support I’ve received from professors and mentors throughout my time at Oberlin to pursue all of my interests, often in spite of initial hesitation. Later on, when I was first considering applying for a Fulbright, the award’s prestige was intimidating. My friends, family, and several of my professors encouraged me to apply, even when I questioned whether I was qualified for such a competitive opportunity. I’m so grateful for the community at Oberlin that has consistently encouraged me to pursue opportunities that genuinely excite me.

If you’re a rising or graduating senior interested in Fulbright, connect with Fellowships & Awards to learn more about pursuing research or an arts project, obtaining a graduate degree, or teaching English in a foreign country of your choice following graduation.