Ms. Rita Ulrich has been named a recipient of the Fulbright-Hays program for the summer of 2017. She will be studying in Bulgaria. The Fulbright-Hays program to Bulgaria will focus on the nation’s relationship as part of the European Union, N.A.T.O. and the neighboring countries of Turkey and Russia. Over the four weeks, the program will highlight the role that globalization has played in Bulgaria’s development since joining with the E.U. This study will include the impact that refugee migration into the country has had on the economy, culture, education, and demographics, as well as the results of the “brain drain” of Bulgarians who have left for better opportunities elsewhere.
Ms. Ulrich is the social studies teacher for 7th and 8th grade, as well as psychology teacher to advanced placement students at Oxford Prep. She is a graduate of Florida State University with a double bachelors in social science education and psychology. Ms. Ulrich also has a masters degree in international education from the University of Sydney, Australia. After teaching in both South Korea and China for four years, she returned to the United States two years ago to continue my teaching career at an American school. The reason she applied to the Fulbright-Hays program is to expand my knowledge of the changing dynamics of Eastern Europe, as well as educate myself in how the larger global issues are impacting Bulgaria and surrounding region. Ms. Ulrich states that “It is my goal that the Fulbright program will provide opportunities to connect with the people of Bulgaria who are living through the constant global change in the nation, bringing their varying and diverse experiences back to the classroom. Students who will be enrolled in my A.P. psychology class will then have a chance to analyze how the concepts they learn actually play out in the real world through individual stories and lesson based around these very topics.”