Brianna Walling, a 2010 Glacier High School graduate, was hiking on Mount Rainier in Washington when she found out she was accepted into the Fulbright U.S. Student Program to teach English in Argentina.

“I happened to check my email and saw a ‘congratulations’ email from the PLU [Pacific Lutheran University] adviser before scrolling down and seeing the formal email from the U.S. Department of State,” Walling said.

Walling is one of approximately 1,840 U.S. students to receive Fulbright grants for the 2014-15 academic year.

The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government. It is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the U.S. and other countries.

The 22-year-old Walling graduated from Pacific Lutheran University in May, majoring in political science and global studies with a minor in Hispanic studies. She is the 100th student from the university to be accepted into the Fulbright Program since 1975.

Without a clear direction of what she wanted to do after graduation, Walling did know that that she wanted to spend the time productively and with purpose. She had been very involved with her university’s English as a Second Language Program, teaching English twice a week to adults.

“I loved the program and I loved teaching,” Walling said.

Walling had also spent a semester studying in Buenos Aires, Argentina, during her junior year of college. Her studies focused on human rights and social movements in Argentina.

“I studied informal settlements — essentially shantytowns — and clean water as a human right. I looked at how cities dealt with the issue,” Walling said, noting that she discovered a semester to be a very short time to study such a complex issue. “I wrote about this in my Fulbright essay that I would be interested in pursuing that research further, or going back and volunteering in the shantytowns that I visited. I definitely want to get involved with volunteering.”

In March, Walling will depart for Argentina, which will become her home for the next eight months.

The Fulbright fellow is eager to find out in which school she will teach English. Walling said she should know by the end of the month.

“I’ll most likely be teaching English to adults, working in a class with another professor in a college setting,” Walling said.

During the time outside the classroom, Walling said she will be expected to engage in community activities and side projects. With years of experience competing on high school and college debate teams, Walling said she hopes to use the debate format as a classroom activity to help students learn and practice English. Her years on the university debate team took her to international competitions in countries such as England and the Philippines.

“I’ve been involved in debate for seven years, so I proposed starting or joining an existing debate team,” Walling said.

When she completes her Fulbright fellowship and returns to the United States, she might attend graduate school. Walling said she eventually would like to work with immigrant communities in nonprofit setting.

Currently, Walling spends her time working part-time at the Toggery and is assistant speech and debate coach at Whitefish High School. She also volunteers with the Literacy Center of Northwest Montana (formerly Literacy Volunteers of Flathead County) and with the before-school program at Muldown Elementary once a week.

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or by email at hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.