Daude Laurents awarded Fulbright Student Award to Germany

Luiza Daude Laurents has received a Fulbright Student Award to Germany for 2020-2021 as an English teaching assistant.

Luiza Daude Laurents, 2019 graduate of Texas State University with a degree in German and minor in international studies, has received a Fulbright Student Award to Germany for 2020-2021 as an English teaching assistant.

Daude Laurents will use her skills to help German-speaking students learn English. Due to COVID-19, her assignment has been postponed until Jan. 1, 2021.

“I’m definitely hoping to learn a lot. I was very fortunate in high school to spend time in Germany over the summer, but my German was not at a place where I was able to participate particularly actively,” said Daude Laurents, who lives in Austin. “I would love to be able to really focus on honing my German, as well as assisting the students with honing their English.

“And then just want to experience their culture. I’ve been able to go a few times before, but it’s never been as immersive as this opportunity will be,’ she said. “To fully be in the German culture and have that experience, that would be amazing for me.” 

The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program. It is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the U.S. and the people of other countries. In accepting the award, Daude Laurents will be joining more than 100,000 Fulbright U.S. Student Program alumni who have undertaken grants since the program began in 1948.

Daude Laurents’ road to the Fulbright began after she graduated from high school, when she earned an associate degree in Arabic and studied Russian for two years prior to enrolling at Texas State. That led to her landing a Critical Language Scholarship in 2018 from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, which she completed in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Upon her return, Texas State’s German program faculty—Valentina Glajar, Ewa Siwak and Lisa Haegele—identified her as a prime Fulbright candidate and encouraged her to apply.  

“We spent probably at least half a year working on the application,” Daude Laurents said. “We started early on and did draft after draft after draft.

“They were so supportive through the whole process,” she said. “They helped me out staying active on it and working toward it. I’m grateful for that.”

For more information on Texas State student Fulbright awards visit www.modlang.txstate.edu/student/fulbright.html.