The NEA Foundation Global Learning Fellowship: Funded Costa Rica Travel

Today let’s learn about the amazing NEA Foundation Global Learning Fellowship, which gathers a group of teachers studying together first online, then in a fully funded travel field study experience! Esteemed NBCT educator Mirta Valdés-Bradner will tell us about her experience with the NEA Foundation GLF in Costa Rica.

Teaching Traveling: Mirta, tell us a bit about your background.

Mirta: Hello! I was born and raised in Puerto Rico, and came to the United States for college. Teaching is my second career, and I will be beginning my 28th year this August — twenty-four of them in public school.

I teach Spanish Levels 3 and 4, AP Spanish Language and Culture, and Spanish for Heritage Speakers in Maryland’s Eastern Shore. I am also an AP advocate, and was part of a team that in 2022 helped pass legislation on prior credit for learning in the state of Maryland.

TT: Wonderful! Tell us about your recent travel opportunities.

M: This year I was part of the NEA Global Learning Fellowship. We met monthly by Zoom, after meeting in person last October in Washington DC, and studied the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Then this past June, we attended a field study in Costa Rica! If you’re interested in applying for the NEA GLF, applications usually open around December.

TT: Nice! How do you find your travel opportunities?

M: As the 22-23 Caroline County Teacher of the Year and as the 24 Maryland Language Teacher of the Year, I have learned of new opportunities that I was unaware existed. Collaborating with others, and learning from other educators on social media has been an eye-opening experience.

I teach in a rural community, and we do not usually hear about these opportunities. In-person and online connections help bridge the information gap.

TT: Now, how did funding for the NEA Foundation GLF work?

M: The NEA Foundation Global Learning Fellowship to Costa Rica was fully funded by the NEA Foundation. This year, I have applied for a grant for 2025 to attend a world language conference in Panama.

I encourage you to explore the NEA Foundation Grants and Fellowships page for funding opportunities for many realms of education. There are many more NEA Foundation grants beyond the Global Learning Fellowship!

TT: Excellent advice. Now, tell us one moment from your NEA Foundation Costa Rica travels that was particularly powerful.

M: Being part of this NEA Foundation Global Learning Fellowship and forming friendships with the other 48 educators was the most profound part of the journey for me. Of course, it was also wonderful seeing how we can apply the SDG’s to our lessons, and knowing the importance of global competency was the center of this fellowship.

One great moment was that I got to see again a former teacher from high school who moved to Costa Rica almost 40 years ago. It was profound to see how she and others have impacted my career choice, and fostered my passion for teaching!

TT: So beautiful. How have your travels impacted you as a teacher and a person?

M: My dad always said “viajar es vivir” — to travel is to live. When you travel, you are engaging in ideas, and with people and other cultures that are different from yours.

Traveling (or “travelling,” if you use British English) makes my lessons richer and more impactful, and that benefits my students. I am able to give students a view of the world through my lessons.

TT: Well said. What advice do you have for teachers who are dreaming of travel?

M: To those teachers who think there are no scholarships and grants opportunities for educators, or do not know about them, I tell them, go and research, engage, and apply to every opportunity — they are out there! I am starting my 28th year teaching, and I want to continue to do this for many more years.

And of course, do check out the NEA Foundation, the fantastic Fulbright opportunities, and so many more. The world is your classroom!!

TT: Thanks so much, Mirta! Readers, what questions or comments do you have?