October 26, 2020
Christina Franko Uliano '07
When Christina Franko Uliano ’07 won a Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms grant in 2018, the Philadelphia-based art educator seized the opportunity to participate in the yearlong program.
“I designed my curriculum to bring a global and cultural environment to the classroom, and I wanted to learn more, so I can do it better,” she explained.
Unlike other Fulbright grants, which require lengthy residencies, the global classroom program features a two-to-three-week international immersion, to allow educators to continue teaching while participating in the experience. Uliano spent her time abroad in Colombia, where she was able to shadow and then collaborate with a local teacher. At home in the U.S., she enrolled in Fulbright’s global education online course and attended their symposium in Washington, D.C., which provided her with a robust toolkit for bringing global thinking into the classroom and helping her students understand how they’re all connected.
“I’m teaching at the Andrew Jackson School, and we have a lot of students and families who are immigrants and first generation,” she said. “It’s good for my students to see the world in a broader way and this program helped me bring that to them. Art is a place where students can come together and learn about each other. I’m a true believer in the power of art. It’s the glue that holds together a school community, and that’s what makes art educators so important.”
Next, Uliano plans to apply to other international teaching experiences, including for a Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching, which would send her abroad again, this time with an emphasis on conducting research. Aspiring art educators can learn more about how to introduce a global experience into the classroom by reading her blog for the Pennsylvania Art Education Association, where she serves as the elementary division director, at paeablog.org/author/cfuliano.
“Our organization is big on advocacy,” she said. “Join as a student and do a favor for your future self. It’s the perfect place to begin networking, collaborating and building a toolkit for your classroom.”
This article first appeared in the Summer 2020 Tower magazine.
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After graduation, Heather Browne '16 moved back to the Baltimore area, where she is now a first-grade teacher at the Maryland School for the Blind.
READ FULL STORYTwo years after graduating in 2009, Clay created his first fantasy football website. By 2016, ESPN came calling.
READ FULL STORYA field hockey player by training, she soon identified the characteristic that would come to define her love for politics: a competitive spirit.
READ FULL STORYPeace Corps volunteer Yorman De La Rosa made it to Morocco by way of Kutztown University, after a semester-long stop in our nation’s capital.
READ FULL STORYMarybeth Kern ’09, M’19, who recently secured a spot as a featured artist in Logic’s music video, is all about collaboration.
READ FULL STORYTekiah Brabham's commitment to urban classrooms leads her to teach in Washington, D.C.
READ FULL STORYKutztown University alumnus fights food insecurity with America’s Grow-a-Row
READ FULL STORYPolitical Science alumna pursues career in law.
READ FULL STORYAlumna's experience at KU leads to her dream job in a copper mine.
READ FULL STORYKutztown University alumnus is continuing the legacy of education.
READ FULL STORYAudrey Zimmerman co-owns the oldest children's shoe company in America.
READ FULL STORYThis 2014 graduate is practicing the art of dentistry.
READ FULL STORYKutztown alum graduates from prestigious FBI National Academy.
READ FULL STORYTraveling to the brink of volcanoes.
READ FULL STORYEnsuring Safety in Research Environments.
READ FULL STORYLaying the Groundwork for a Better Future
READ FULL STORY