BUFFALO, NY - Aryn Keyel ’13 fell in love with teaching the minute her Jeepney pulled up to a neighborhood in Quezon City, Manila and was swarmed by a group of Filipino children. The small bus was carrying school supplies, instructional materials and educators, such as Keyel, to the remote Philippine village, as part of UNICEF’s Mobile Education project. The project brings education to children in some of the most remote areas of developing countries.
“Oftentimes, a set of chairs on a bamboo mat is the only school these children know, still they never miss an opportunity to learn something new,” explains Keyel, who participated in the project during her study abroad senior year. “The whole experience reminded me of the power of learning to better oneself.”
Keyel now applies what she learned in the Philippines to a new cross-cultural and educational experience. She is participating in an English Teaching Assistantship in Malta, as the college’s latest recipient of a J. William Fulbright Scholarship.
“By learning English, Maltese children will be better prepared to build social, economic or political connections within their country and beyond,” says Keyel, who is pursuing her certification in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL).
Prior to beginning her teaching assistantship, Keyel worked as an educator at Westminster Charter School in Buffalo. Her goal is to one day open a school or exchange program focused on religious and ethnic cooperation.
“Diversity can be a beneficial tool for young students to explore history, language, literature, even geography or religion, and to become more well-rounded and accepting individuals,” she says. “My aim is to teach children the importance of tolerance and collaboration while giving them the necessary skills to become innovators in their chosen fields.”
As a way for students to experience language and culture, simultaneously, Keyel is developing a modern-day pen pal program, during her 10 months in Malta. The idea is to pair students from a Maltese school with those at Westminster Community Charter School. Students will read the same English-language book and then, via video chat, discuss what they read in English. “This gives students the opportunity to learn and connect with their peers in another country.”
Keyel graduated from Canisius in 2013 with degrees in communication studies and religious studies. She is grateful to Christopher R. Lee, PhD, her former religious studies professor and director of graduate fellowships, for his unwavering guidance.
“Dr. Lee encouraged me throughout the Fulbright process and during my time at Canisius,” says Keyel. “He pushed me to be better in everything and I couldn’t have received this Fulbright without him.”
Keyel’s scholarship brings the total number of Fulbrights awarded to Canisius students or alumni to 37, since 1987.
The J. William Fulbright Scholarship is named for Senator J. William Fulbright and is designed to foster mutual understanding among nations through educational and cultural exchanges.
