A positive study abroad experience in the Dominican Republic and a conversation with Ron Pitcock, Ph.D., director of prestigious scholarships, introduced Madeline Nissen ’12 to the idea of applying to the Fulbright U.S. Student Program.
Because her studies at TCU included Spanish and French, Nissen chose to apply for an English-teaching assistantship in the sovereign microstate of Andorra, which borders both countries.
“I studied a lot of different things and learned about different languages and cultures, which prepared me to go abroad,” she said. “I really don’t think I would have been as successful without TCU’s support—especially the support from the John V. Roach Honors College.”
Nissen’s first approach to teaching English focused heavily on grammar and structure. “That didn’t go very well,” she laughed. “Then, I realized I was there to give the kids more of a personal interest in English, so we shifted gears,” she said.
So Nissen started providing fun and cultural learning opportunities, like writing letters to Disney characters, to help students practice their English language and writing skills.
Though Nissen’s students were older—between the ages of 12 and 15—they were excited about the projects nonetheless. “We got a return letter and a postcard signed by the Disney princesses,” she recalled. “It was really fun for the students.”
Nissen also participated in a school lunch program that paired teachers with students interested in taking a deeper dive into learning English. “It reminded me of being a resident assistant because you met students who were really interested in having a great experience,” she said.
An avid baker, Nissen also shared her passion with her class and treated them to a novelty: homemade chocolate-dipped peanut butter pretzel balls. “There are some ingredients that are key to baking in the United States that aren’t prevalent in Andorra, and peanut butter is one of them,” she said. “I had to make my own in a food processor.” She also found ways to concoct her own version of Nutella.
At just 180 square miles, Andorra is the sixth smallest country in Europe. “There’s no airport or train station,” Nissen said. “To get anywhere, you have to take the bus and go from there.”
During her Fulbright year, Nissen took advantage of her centralized location and explored various cities in Spain, Italy, England, Hungary, Croatia and more.
One of her favorite travel memories was attending a Fulbright conference in Berlin, Germany. All Europe-based Fulbrighters gathered to hear their colleagues’ research, which provided a change of pace from Nissen’s English-teaching assistantship.
“It was a great time. The five of us who were in Andorra traveled together, and we heard about all these amazing projects that other Fulbrighters were doing... I felt so inspired,” she recalled.
After work, Nissen volunteered with a local animal shelter located in the Spanish town of La Seu d’Urgell, just across the border from Andorra. She spent almost every weekend that she wasn’t traveling working at the shelter.
“I remember transporting two dogs to a partner shelter in the Netherlands that was specifically for senior dogs,” she said. “It was a great trip, and I got to see them in their new homes.”
She also served as a foster parent for some cats. “It was extremely unexpected, and not at all in my plans, but it was a neat experience,” she shared. Nissen found one of her foster cats, Shera, on a hike with her Fulbright cohort and a group of locals.
During Nissen’s time volunteering at the shelter, one very special canine, Rudy, caught her eye. She adopted him and they enjoyed many adventures together.
“He was a big part of my time in Andorra,” she said. So, when it was time return to the States, she decided Rudy needed a new American “forever home.”
After completing a complicated, months-long process of transporting an animal from a different country, Nissen and Rudy eventually settled in to life in Houston, where the treasured pup still lives with her family. “We have two kiddos, and they adore him. He’s like a big teddy bear,” she said.
After Fulbright, Nissen worked in sales and project management, but today she holds a different job title: full-time mom. Even at home with her kids, she acknowledges the importance of her Fulbright year. “It was such an amazing experience that can’t really be replicated. I feel like I have a more well-rounded perspective to teach my kids about the global community.”
Almost 10 years later, Nissen still maintains contact with the five members of her Andorran Fulbright cohort.
“One of the interesting things about Fulbright is that it takes you out of your context, puts you somewhere new and asks you to act as an ambassador—to do your best with what’s in front of you and be your best self,” she said.
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