Campus Connection

UWL alumnus to teach in Germany on a Fulbright scholarship

Language is the first of many steps in building strong human-to-human connections and breaking down cultural barriers. That’s something Erik Reitan, ’15, learned during his undergraduate experience. It’s something he will now put into practice through a Fulbright scholarship to teach English as a second language in Germany starting in August. Reitan will teach English classes at a school in Mainz, Germany, during the 2016-17 academic year. He also plans to find an immigration-related internship in the country. The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government. Recipients are selected on academic and professional achievement, as well as service and leadership in their respective fields. The program is designed to increase mutual understanding between U.S. citizens and others. Understanding between cultures is something Reitan experienced first-hand while studying abroad at UWL. He calls his study abroad experience at Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany, during his junior year the “cornerstone of my UWL experience.” Reitan saw how language was an important gateway to knowing a country and its people. “Being able to speak German opened up a lot of doors for me that were not as accessible to other students,” he says. For one, he was able to build meaningful relationships with people from other cultures to understand not only an inside joke, but also some of the challenges they faced. For example, some friends of his from Turkey and Mexico that he met while studying abroad who were the perfect candidates for positions at U.S. companies or completely qualified to attend U.S. schools were turned away because of passport limitations. It was frustrating to see people working so hard to improve their futures have to return to unproductive or unsafe living conditions in their own countries. That led to Reitan’s interest in understanding more about immigration. Reitan came to UWL in part because of the strong academic program in international studies. He benefited from not only the classes, but also great mentors like Assistant Professor of Modern Languages Audie Olson who was an inspiration and resource, says Reitan. He also gave him the academic freedom to pursue his interests within language studies. Olson says students like Erik are the reason he teaches. He aims to help these students maintain an interest in language and culture not necessarily to pursue a profession in the field, but to continue a passion that becomes part of who they are. “Those who study abroad are changed in significant ways for life,” says Olson. “It's gratifying to play a small part in helping them get there.” Prior to departing for Germany, Reitan will travel to Guadalajara, Mexico, in July to study at The Language School to receive international certification to teach English as a second language. Reitan would eventually like to work in the administration side of international education or in immigration. He’s excited about the Fulbright opportunity, and how that will help him continue to learn. “I feel ready to go to work,” he says. “I’m looking forward to understanding what I need to do and learn next.” — “I want to thank UW-La Crosse. I think it was the perfect setting for Erik. I think it did everything for him. It wasn’t too big or too small. The main thing was he felt comfortable there.” - Mark Reitan, Erik’s father. UWL has three Fulbrights for 2016-17 Erik Reitan is one of three people with UWL roots who’ve earned financial awards through the prestigious Fulbright program to travel to locations across the world during the 2016-17 academic year. The other two are Gita Pai, assistant professor of history, and Sara Docan-Morgan, associate professor of communication studies. Including Pai, Docan-Morgan and Reitan, seven from UWL have earned Fulbright awards while on campus since 2009.