Jessica Romero, a 2018 graduate in Spanish and Portuguese, has been offered a highly prestigious Fulbright grant for 2018-19, awarding her the opportunity to pursue international research, educational, and teaching experiences.

The, provided by the U.S. government, approximately 2,100 U.S. citizens will travel abroad for the 2018-19 academic year through the U.S. Student Program Fulbright program.

Romero, of Cicero, Ill., and a graduate of J. Sterling Morton East High School, was selected to represent the U.S. as a Fulbright English teaching assistant in Brazil. She is spending nine months at a university instructing future English as a foreign language teachers. A May 2018 bachelor's degree recipient with majors in Spanish and Portuguese, Romero gained instructional experience as an intern with the Intensive English Institute on campus and as a program assistant with Illinois Abroad and Global Exchange.

Her Fulbright in Brazil will be her third trip to Latin America after having studied abroad in Costa Rica for a semester during her sophomore year and in Rio de Janeiro in fall 2017. After the Fulbright, Romero seeks to continue her career as an educator teaching Latin American history.