- Marker Spotlights
Just under four years after graduating from Nerinx Hall, Maggie Sullivan '18 found herself using her minor in Spanish almost every single day as a student teacher in a school that is predominantly LatinX. She said she's glad she had that knowledge — and the encouragement to continue her language study, which she attributes to Nerinx and Spanish teacher Jill "Q" Quinlan. Next year, she plans to take her skills even further by serving as a Fulbright Teaching English Assistant in Spain!
"I had Q for three years at Nerinx, and she always encouraged us to try and get a Spanish minor in college," she said.
As a recent Marquette graduate with a degree in Secondary Education and English Language Arts with a minor in Spanish, Maggie said she is excited about the Fulbright opportunity, not only to expand her horizons, but also to do some good along the way.
In addition to teaching, Maggie will devote part of her time in Spain working with Narrative 4, a nonprofit organization that uses story exchanges and storytelling to promote empathy in young people.
"I am very excited to facilitate story exchanges in my placement because I feel like storytelling is a great way to understand and connect with others," she said. "This organization strives to help students understand that their voices and stories matter, just like Nerinx did for me."
Speaking of Nerinx, Maggie reflects fondly on her time as a student and how her experience empowered her to be the woman she is today.
"Nerinx really prepared me for college and life in general especially in teaching me how to advocate for myself," she said. "Not only did Nerinx teach me that my voice and ideas truly matter, but Nerinx also taught me that it is our responsibility to use our voices when something is not right and needs to change."
Thanks for sharing your story with us, Maggie! We look forward to seeing how you'll use your Fulbright placement to give voice to many more.