Graduate Student Wins Fulbright Award to Teach in Peru

Kean University graduate student Kevin Vega has received a Fulbright Award that will take him to Peru this summer, where he will help teachers develop their skills in teaching students to understand and interpret history.

He is one of only 20 U.S. citizens selected for the 2024 Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Short-Term Program, which dispatches expert K-12 teachers from the United States to participating countries around the globe.

“I am incredibly excited to have been chosen for this prestigious award,” Vega said. “In addition to assisting teachers and specialists with new strategies aimed at helping students critically interpret sources, understand historical events and context, I will provide recommendations on conducting regional historical research.” That research pertains to the Battle of Ayacucho, a pivotal conflict in Peru’s war of independence.

Vega, of Somerville, who is also a history and social studies teacher at Princeton High School, is a student in the Master of Arts in Holocaust and Genocide Studies (MAHGS) program at Kean and expects to graduate in May 2025. He said he has long been fascinated by Holocaust and genocide studies, “particularly its exploration of human behavior,” and teaches related topics. 

Kean History Department Chair C. Brid Nicholson, Ph.D., said the MAHGS program encourages students, most of whom are teachers, to “not only recognize the past, but develop curriculum and bring what they learn into their own classrooms.”

She said the Fulbright will give Vega the opportunity to utilize his skills internationally and experience a different classroom and different methods of teaching.

“I am thrilled that Kevin has been recognized with the Fulbright Award,” Nicholson said. “As the University works towards R2 research status, this award is a wonderful recognition of Kevin's work. Everyone connected with Kean’s MAHGS program, faculty and students, is very excited for him.” 

Vega said the lessons he has learned in the MAGHS program will enhance his educational experiences in Peru.

“Through the MAHGS program, I've developed various skills, including research methods, critical thinking, primary and secondary source analysis, and text analysis. These skills have been consistently emphasized throughout my courses, and I'm eager to apply them in my work in Peru,” he said.

Vega, whose parents were both born in Costa Rica, also has significant experience in bilingual education, and will be teaching and collaborating with other educators primarily in Spanish.

Vega will work in Peru for five weeks, starting in July. Stationed in the city of Ayacucho, and spending time in various classrooms and schools, he will lead seminars and workshops, review academic study plans, and suggest evaluations and assessments to measure learning outcomes.

Fulbrighters also have the opportunity to expand their professional networks, and lay the groundwork for continued collaborations and partnerships after they return to the United States. Vega said he hopes to do that as well. 

“I hope to integrate what I learn in Peru into my own classes and maintain professional ties. Additionally, I'm excited to become part of a large global alumni network,” he said.