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For UC Davis field hockey alum Beth Lee, an experience of a lifetime began with the click of a mouse.
 
"I was super excited to receive that e-mail. What made that situation funny was that I was teaching kindergarten at the time and opened that message during my prep period. I was caught off-guard.
 
"I was so giddy and excited, but my prep period was ending, which made it difficult to immediately share my excitement and that news with anyone. When the bell rang, I called my parents right away to tell them the news. There was definitely a lot of excitement and giddiness that day."
 
At that time, Lee was entering the final months of a two-year commitment with Teach for America — an opportunity that presented itself during her junior year at UC Davis. Even though Lee was keen on traveling abroad after earning her undergraduate degree at the fifth-ranked public school in the nation, the decision to participate in this program was an easy one.
 
During her first year in Washington, Lee was placed in a fourth-grade classroom at a school located in Federal Way, 30 minutes south of the Seattle metropolitan area. The following year saw a shift in the age of the students she taught.
 
"I prefer kindergarten, enjoy the social-emotional development that takes place at that age and teaching them how to become a person. Fourth grade was a huge learning year because one's first year of teaching is a giant learning curve. I will never forget that class."

Simply by opening a message before picking up her kindergarten students, Lee was presented with another easy decision, thanks to U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. That message broke the news that she was a 2019-20 Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program award winner.  
 
The U.S. Scholar Program offers approximately 470 teaching, research or combination teaching/research awards in over 125 countries. Opportunities are available for college and university faculty and administrators, as well as for professionals, artists, journalists, scientists, lawyers, independent scholars and others.

Lee is the first UC Davis Athletics alum from its Division I era to receive this prestigious honor from the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program, and the third Aggie in department history selected by the Fulbright's Scholarship Board.
 
Once all paperwork was completed, her passport and visa were verified, Lee left the U.S. on July 5, 2019, to begin her new adventure in South Korea. Before learning where she would teach English, and at what grade level, Lee and other Fulbright finalists enjoyed a program orientation that lasted throughout the month of July and ended on August 16.
 
"The orientation took place at a university in Incheon, South Korea, and involved 80 other people. During our second week in the country, a placement ceremony took place."
 
Lee learned that she would teach at a high school in Cheongju, located two hours south of Seoul, and live with a single mom and two of her students since each school that collaborated with the Fulbright program was responsible for organizing homestays for participating teachers.
 
"Everyone in the program taught English; we were given an opportunity to submit our preferences for location — rural, metropolitan city, or somewhere in between — and desired level (elementary, middle or high school). I did not have a preference for a desired grade level and felt this was a great opportunity to teach at the secondary level because, as an elementary teacher back home, when would I face another opportunity to teach high school students?"
 
As a Korean-American, Lee experienced a smoother transition from the United States to South Korea, compared to other members of her cohort, since her parents and grandparents spoke the language throughout her formative years.
 
"Korean language classes took up a lot of time throughout orientation. Thankfully, I understood the language before I arrived since my grandparents are fluent and my parents are conversationally fluent. It was definitely easier for me to adjust compared to most Fullbrighters.
 
"Since my homestay mom did not know English, she only spoke Korean to me. I understood bits and pieces of what she said throughout my live-at-home experience, which was better than my friends who had no clue what their homestay parents or family members were saying to them."
 
Once Lee entered the classroom, she quickly adjusted to country's educational system, which differed from her Teach for America classroom experience in unique ways.
 
"Korean schools take education very seriously. A typical high school day runs from 8:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m. I did not teach all of those hours; I had 18 classes, 550 students total, and saw each class once a week," said Lee.
 
"Most of my classes took place from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., and I taught afterschool clubs on Mondays and Tuesdays, which ran from 7:30-8:30 p.m. both nights. Students eat lunch and dinner at school, which makes this schedule easier to handle."
 
Lee's students were not the only ones strengthening their skills in a secondary language since roles reversed from time to time throughout her entire experience.
 
"I obviously needed some translation, and found translation apps useful. My students also helped me out since they knew more English — the language is first taught at third grade — than I knew Korean," Lee said regarding these collaborative opportunities that also enhanced everyone's classroom experience.
 
As much as she enjoyed teaching her students, Lee also relished the opportunity to explore the country on weekends since Fullbrighters were not allowed to leave the country while teaching throughout the semester.
 
"Traveling within South Korea is very accessible and easy to do, I visited a lot of friends and explored as much of the country as possible since the public transit system was outstanding. There are buses, trains and taxis, which makes it very easy to travel from one place to another."
 
Since Lee's teaching commitment was slated for 13 months, working abroad also allowed her to face circumstances and situations that were unique to her situation.
 
"My first Christmas away from home took place last year and I only had Christmas Day off. There is a different version of Thanksgiving in South Korea, which meant I taught during America's Thanksgiving Day.
 
"South Korea's school year also differs from the one used throughout the United States since classes begin in March and end the following February. Depending on the school, everyone has a four-to-six-week-long break, which allowed me to travel."
 
Members of Lee's Fulbright cohort were prepared for an adventure of a lifetime once they arrived in South Korea. Even though various details were unknown once July's orientation commenced, everyone was prepared to take full advantage of this highly-coveted opportunity, and looked forward to growing personally and professionally throughout this experience.
 
"One of the most important qualities teachers possess, which is applicable in any position, is the ability to remain flexible. I think this experience in South Korea tested by flexibility and ability to adapt. Being fully immersed in a culture and language that I did not fully know forced me to deal with simple things, like communicating with people or understanding how a traditional school year works," said Lee.
 
However, there was one unanticipated element of this experience that caught everyone by surprise.
 
"Fulbright staff did a great job communicating through e-mail with everyone in the program, regarding COVID-19, since South Korea was the second country to experience an outbreak, after China. Most of us were traveling during winter break when this virus started to spread."
 
The program soon provided Fullbrighters with an opportunity to leave on a voluntary basis, which allowed them to return home in as timely a manner as possible. Since the number of South Koreans affected by COVID-19 was rapidly increasing each week, half of the teachers participating in the Fulbright South Korea program, which included Lee, chose to leave the country during that mid-March window.
 
Shortly thereafter, Fulbright shut the program down worldwide for the rest of the grant year. Individuals who did not return to the U.S. opted to remain as private citizens.
 
"I have been trying to process the ending of my experience since everything happened so quickly. I was happy to return home because I missed my family, but everything felt bittersweet since I wanted this opportunity to last the full 13 months. This was the most incredible experience of my life.
 
"Now that I have been home for a couple months, I look back and ask myself, 'did my experience in South Korea actually happen?' It seems like a completely different life took place, one where I could travel on the weekends, spend time with friends and enjoy a different culture," shared Lee, as she looked back at the whirlwind of events that took place throughout the start of the calendar year.
 
Even though her opportunity was truncated by factors outside everyone's control, Lee still cherishes this experience and is grateful for how it positively influenced her values, personality and provided an opportunity for self-reflection.
 
"My Fulbright experience helped me strengthen my personal identity, especially being a Korean-American. Seeing where my grandparents grew up, and gaining a deeper understanding of the culture through immersion, allowed me to understand who I am and embrace my identity on a deeper level."
 
Lee is currently preparing for a return to a familiar environment this fall, depending on various factors pertaining to how U.S. national, state and local officials respond to the country's current COVID-19 situation. If circumstances align accordingly, she will return to Seattle and teach kindergarten at the same school where her Teach for America experience took place, albeit as a full-time staff member.

The thought of returning to Seattle excites Lee since she is eager to integrate what she learned personally, and professionally, throughout her Fulbright adventures in a familiar environment.
 
"I highly recommend this experience because it will help you grow as a person more than you realize by living in a different country and meeting people with a variety of backgrounds. I made life-long connections, some of them unexpected, with students and other members of my cohort that are truly amazing, and you will too."
 




AGGIE EVO
Established during the 2017-18 academic year, the Aggie EVO System is UC Davis Athletics' investment in the primary mission of preparing student-athletes for a successful "launch" after graduation.
 
Thanks to a collaboration of alumni, university resources, corporate partners, coaches and Student-Athlete Outcomes staff, all Aggies are guided over four years to acquire the skills, knowledge, opportunities and tools to better know and navigate the "World of Work" after graduating from UC Davis.
 
Follow the Aggie EVO system on Twitter and Instagram at @AggieEVO.