For Rachel Lucas, B.A. 2021, The Catholic University of America has opened a whole world of opportunities to make an impact, especially now that she’s earned a Fulbright English Teaching Award to teach in Jordan and take courses to learn the country’s Arabic dialect.
“I wake up every day excited,” said Lucas, who is teaching college students at Al Hussein Technical University and disadvantaged youth at the U.S. State Department’s AMIDEAST English Access Microscholarship Program. “Everything that’s happened to me is thanks to choosing Catholic University.”
Lucas said the University's small class sizes, Washington, D.C. location, and Islamic World Studies program is a rare combination that helped her forge her own path. The faculty mentorship and connections she made as a student helped her secure a coveted internship at the Middle East Policy Council. She graduated a semester early and worked at the Embassy of Libya as the ambassador’s assistant.
Her dream had long been to earn a Fulbright award, so she went to a graduate school abroad to beef up her already impressive resume. When the time came to apply, she knew she could count on her Catholic University mentors.
Lucas said Assistant Director of Academic Support, Grants and Fellowships Andrew Litke and Honors Program Director and Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies Jennifer Paxton were “monumental” for being there for her every step of the way.
“With Fulbright, it’s definitely something you have to start early on. And Catholic does a great job of providing information and support throughout the process,” she said.
And that close-knit campus community has never left her. She said one of her favorite parts of her time in Jordan is the number of people she has met that have a Cardinal connection.
“One person in my program went to high school with some of my friends from Catholic,” she said, adding another person she met attended an Arabic calligraphy event on the University's campus. “It really is a small world.”
For Lucas, she’s all about building connections that transform who we are and those around us. Reflecting on her dreams achieved, there are too many people to count who helped her on her journey.
“I’m so thankful for everybody who has helped me on the way,” she said. “It really has been such a team effort.”
