BY RACHEL LEINGANG
leingara@mnstate.edu

Leigh Wilson-Mattson is proof that an MSUM education can take you anywhere.

Wilson-Mattson, a 2009 communications studies graduate, was awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in the Terengganu province of Malaysia.

The Fulbright program is the largest U.S. international exchange program offering opportunities for students, scholars, and professionals to undertake international graduate study, advanced research, university teaching, and teaching in elementary and secondary schools worldwide.

Wilson-Mattson is one of 12 teaching assistants in Malaysia this year.

She will work as an English teaching assistant in a primary school for about 20 hours per week for 10 months.

So far, she’s been training in the capital city, Kuala Lumpur, but is ready to start teaching.

“I’m really looking forward to meeting the kids and training a storytelling and speaking competition group,” Wilson-Mattson said.

The Fulbright Foundation provides her with money to cover living expenses plus a small stipend, but Wilson-Mattson was most interested in the experiences it offers.

“I really wanted to travel or live abroad after I graduated, especially without going into debt to do it,” she said. “When I saw the information about the opportunity to live and teach English abroad, I jumped at the chance to apply. I think teaching is also a wonderful way to get to know a community.”

Wilson-Mattson feels that her college education made this possible.

“My MSUM education absolutely helped in getting this position,” she said. “I had a wonderful group of professors on the Fulbright committee who were very helpful and brought a lot of insight to the process.  I also had wonderful professors who were willing to look at my essays and give me plenty of pointers.”

Wilson-Mattson plans to apply to law schools once she completes her time in Malaysia, and is especially interested in environmental issues.

“While I am here I am hoping to be able to do some work with the sea turtles in the area,” she said.

Aside from research opportunities and helping students, Wilson-Mattson hopes to grow as a person as well.

“I would say the biggest reward so far has been to have the opportunity to learn more about myself,” she said. “I really enjoy traveling and seeing new places and meeting new people.”

Despite the many rewards teaching in Malaysia will bring for Wilson-Mattson, there are some challenges.

“So far the biggest challenge has been learning how to deal with the unknown,” she said. “Being in a different country and working with people with different ways of communicating has been an exciting part of the trip so far.  I have been able to apply a lot of what I learned as a speech communication major at MSUM.”

To read more from this writer, view her blog at rachelleingang.blogspot.com

Tags: dragons, leingang, malaysia, moorhead, MSUM, professors

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