Hope Margarum ’26 first visited the Czech Republic as a study abroad student. Now, she’s going back — this time as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant.
Margarum, an international studies major from Wantage, New Jersey, received a Fulbright U.S. Student Program award to serve as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant for the 2026–27 academic year. Beginning in August, she will spend 10 months in České Budějovice, teaching English at the Secondary School and Higher Vocational School of Tourism.
“I’ve always liked learning about the world and having more of a global perspective,” she said. “I’m just so excited at the idea of being able to travel and see new places and people.”
That interest grew during her junior year abroad in Prague, where she took a course in teaching English as a foreign language and worked with elementary school students. Returning to teach high schoolers felt like a chance to pick up where she left off.
“Once I went to the Czech Republic and took that teaching class, I was like, ‘This is what I want to do,’” she said. “The city was just so incredible, and I felt so much more at peace when I was there.”
The Fulbright Program first came onto Margarum’s radar the summer before her junior year, while she was interning with the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. During her internship in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, she learned about international exchange programs, including Fulbright.
In her placement, Margarum hopes to help students see American identity in a more expansive way. “I hope my students learn that being an American means so many different things,” she said. “There’s not one mold.”
She also plans to bring a focus on student well-being, with an emphasis on stress management and helping students feel supported through the pressures of high school. The idea grew in part from her internship with the New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education, where she worked on campus mental health initiatives.
Margarum credits Jennifer Palmgren, TCNJ’s assistant provost for Institutional Excellence, and Eileen Heddy, executive director of Support for Teacher Education Programs, with providing invaluable guidance throughout the application process. She also said the Center for Global Engagement helped make her initial study abroad experience possible.
After her Fulbright year, Margarum hopes to pursue a career in public diplomacy or international exchange through government or higher education. She said the experience also speaks to the value of exploring paths beyond the traditional post-graduation route.
“There are so many opportunities after college beyond going to graduate school or entering the workforce right away,” she said. “The nontraditional paths can be just as exciting.”
For Margarum, the Fulbright offer brings new confidence to a question she hears often.
“Everyone asks me, ‘What are you going to do with an international studies degree?’” she said. “I feel like I have a really solid answer: go somewhere I feel passionate about and do something I’m incredibly passionate about.”
The Fulbright U.S. Student Program offers opportunities to advance knowledge and innovation across academic disciplines in partnership with more than 140 countries worldwide. Awards are available to passionate and accomplished graduating college seniors, graduate students, and young professionals from all backgrounds. Program participants pursue graduate study, conduct research, or teach English abroad. Learn more about the Fulbright U.S. Student Program.
Source: https://news.tcnj.edu/2026/05/14/hope-margarum-26-receives-fulbright-u-s-student-program-award/