Rio Grande Teacher Selected for Fulbright Program
Science teacher Jean Marie Baca was chosen for the Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms.
The program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.
Baca is one of only 71 U.S. citizens, and the only New Mexican, selected this year to travel abroad through the Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms Program. Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected on the basis of academic and professional achievement, as well as a record of service and demonstrated leadership potential.
The Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms Program is a year-long professional development opportunity for U.S. elementary, middle, and high school teachers to develop skills for preparing students for a competitive global economy. The program equips teachers to bring an international perspective to their schools through targeted training, experience abroad, and global collaboration.
Baca, a National Board Certified Teacher, has been in education for 20 years. She attended the University of New Mexico and earned a bachelor’s degree in biology and a master’s degree in business administration.
She has taught for APS and Department of Defense Schools in South Korea. Baca enjoys learning about innovative ways to share the fascinating world of science with students. She looks forward to her international field experience and the opportunity to collaborate with and learn from global educators.
The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S government and was created to increase mutual understanding and build lasting connections between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. The primary source of funding for the Fulbright Program is an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA).
Since its inception in 1946, the Fulbright Program has given over 390,000 passionate and accomplished students, scholars, teachers, artists, and professionals of all backgrounds and fields the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to important international problems. The global network of Fulbrighters fosters mutual understanding between the United States and partner nations, advances knowledge across communities, and improves lives around the globe.
More information about the Fulbright Program