2014 Fulbright recipients: Ashley Lepre

Ashley Lepre '13 is a 2014 recipient of a Fulbright U.S. Student Grant. (Sarah Crosby/Bates College)

Ashley Lepre ’13 is a 2014 recipient of a Fulbright U.S. Student Grant. (Sarah Crosby/Bates College)

An English major, Ashley Lepre ’13 of Portland, Maine, was awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship for Bulgaria.

Lepre brings considerable teaching experience to her assistantship in Bulgaria. An education and philosophy minor, in addition to her major in English, she worked with students in a middle school English-language-learners (ELL) program, with ninth- and 10th-grade English students and with fifth-grade special-needs students, all in Lewiston.

“From my teaching experience, I discovered the connectivity of all aspects of a student’s life,” she says. “The student-community relationship in Bulgaria will supplement my understanding of American school systems.”

A dean’s list student at Bates, Lepre was a key member of the women’s rugby club, an experience that gave her “a fundamental confidence in my abilities as an athlete, a leader and a teacher, as well as a powerful drive to reach for the best in myself,” she says. She hopes to use her interest in rugby as a means for engaging with the community in Bulgaria where she teaches.

Upon completing her assistantship in Bulgaria, Lepre is interested in working in ELL educational environments and undertaking graduate studies.

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