PREVIOUS PROJECTSSummer 2011: Italy with Brown FellowsSummer 2012: Nepal (Orphanage work, 1.5 months); Guatemala (Construction work, 16 days)Summer 2013: Nepal (Teaching English in a Monastery & return visit to orphanage, 3 months)School Year 2013-14: Meknes, Morocco for Arabic Study

During my 2013 enrichment project in Nepal, I taught English for two months at a Buddhist monastery and then returned to NYCDS orphanage for a month, where I had previously volunteered in summer 2012. I deliberately decided to work as an English teacher in Nepal in order to experience being a foreign instructor in a developing county, and to examine the local effects of “voluntourism” programs. Unfortunately, after working intensively in a NGO in Nepal, I saw corruption and a blatant misuse of funds; I found this NGO’s programs ineffective, and in some cases detrimental to the local community. Although my enrichment project ultimately made me decide against working for this type of NGO in the developing world, it did help me discover my love for teaching.

Following my three months in Nepal in summer 2013, I went to Meknes, Morocco in order to study Arabic. I lived in Morocco for nine months and attended Moulay Ismail University, a Moroccan institution. My campus specialized in literature, languages, and humanities. I took Arabic language for two and a half hours each day, and also took a class on Diplomacy and Negotiation in Arabic. In addition to my language classes, I took content classes such as Gender Studies: Case of Morocco, Peace and Conflict Resolution, Thought and Theory of Islam, and Moroccan Culture and History. I also volunteered teaching English at a women’s center in my area.

My teaching experience summer 2013 in Nepal occurred at a pivotal time in my undergraduate career. When I realized that studying languages and teaching was my true passion, I decided to go into education rather than education policy. Personally, I believe the results of teaching are more tangible and fulfilling. All of my enrichment projects and extracurricular activities have pointed me towards youth development and language capabilities.

Intensive Arabic at the University of TexasMadeleine Loney, Class of 2015

FUTURE PLANS

PROJECT DESCRIPTIONMy summer enrichment project 2014 consisted of a ten

week intensive Arabic study at the University of Texas Austin Arabic Flagship Program. This language program was far more demanding than most: during this summer session, I completed 220 classroom contact hours of Arabic (4-7 hours per day) in addition to an estimated 250 outside hours (5 hours on homework and required speaking practice per day). The program was unique because it incorporates Arabic grammar with listening comprehension, requires an Arabic language pledge, examines Arab media and current events, hosts cultural events two times a week, and sponsors lectures from guest speakers. Additionally, the University of Texas Austin Arabic Flagship Program is among the highest ranked college Arabic programs in the United States and in fact writes the textbook (Al-Kitaab) and curriculum used in most university Arabic programs around the country. Studying Arabic this past summer at the University of Texas, combined with my year-long study abroad program in Meknes, Morocco (2013-14), allowed me to reach an advanced level in Arabic and ultimately served as the building block for my future career as a professor of Arabic literature.

World Map – Enrichment Projects, Travel, and Study Abroad: Canada, Italy, Tunisia, Nepal, Guatemala, Morocco, Spain, France, Portugal, England, Ireland, Texas.

I have returned to the University of Louisville for my senior year, and I am currently completing my Psychology degree and Middle Eastern & Islamic studies minor. Additionally, I am working on a senior thesis on Contemporary Female Poets in Saudi Arabia; I am analyzing six modern poets and writing 25 poems in Arabic in their individual styles.

After graduating, I will take a year of intensive Arabic study at the University of Qatar in Doha (September 2015 – June 2016) to reach fluency in Arabic. I will study Arabic literature and language, auditing classes in poetry and novel analysis. I will then return to the United States to work at an Arabic publishing house in Chicago or on the West Coast. During that year, I will apply to graduate schools and for a research Fulbright in Oman. In the fall of 2017, I will pursue a Master’s degree in Arabic pedagogy, a program specifically designed for prospective teachers of Arabic that allows me to receive a Master’s and PhD. Degree in Arabic. Currently I am looking at Middlebury College, University of Texas, University of Michigan, and Indiana University. I will also apply to the London School of Oriental and African Studies, the premier university in the United Kingdom for language study. All of these programs take roughly two years to earn a degree. My career goal is to teach Arabic literature at a university in the southern United States.

Specifically, I believe it is necessary for Kentucky and surrounding southern states to participate in the current growth of Arabic language programs in universities across the United States. Having Arabic language courses available in high school for our upcoming generation will create an interest and greater understanding of the Arabic-speaking world, as well as hopefully eradicate some of the negative stigma associated with the Middle East.