Trinity Alumna with Fulbright Grant Will Teach English in Slovak Republic

Trinity College alumna Mia Creane ’25 will combine her interests in language, education, and technology this fall in the Slovak Republic, where she will serve as an English Teaching Assistant (ETA) through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program.

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is a nationally competitive fellowship that funds recent graduates and young professionals to study, conduct research, or teach abroad. Funded primarily by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), the program aims to promote cultural exchange by placing participants in communities around the world, where they share their own backgrounds and learn from others.

After Creane graduated from Trinity with a degree in computer science, the native of Milford, Connecticut, has spent the past year working as a system engineer for a healthcare software company in Madison, Wisconsin. Beginning in September 2026, she will teach English to high school-aged students in the town of Handlová for the duration of the 10-month Fulbright grant.

“The program in the Slovak Republic was specifically seeking STEM majors,” Creane said. “They’re looking for the skills that I have and I’m looking forward to using those skills. They’re doing some really interesting government initiatives with technology and education.”

Creane’s interest in computer science goes back to an “Hour of Code” exercise in seventh grade. “We all went down to the computer lab and coded little games for an hour. That was my first time doing anything coding related, and I just loved it,” she said. “In high school, I did a couple of computer science and robotics classes, and that cemented it for me.”

At Trinity, Creane appreciated her time as a teaching assistant and a tutor. “I enjoyed the opportunity to mentor other students, especially in computer science courses, where I could tell them more about the program,” she said. Creane also completed the Trinity Technology and Leadership Internship for Women during her junior year.

Studying languages at Trinity helped Creane prepare for her upcoming role teaching English. “Going into Trinity, I thought that language learning was not for me, but I had some really great experiences,” she said. “I took Hebrew with [Lecturer in Language and Culture Studies and Jewish Studies] Adi Katz in my first year, and that changed my whole perspective on language learning. It made me realize that if I really committed the time, it can be interesting and fun. A lot of the things that she did in that class are things that I want to bring with me to Slovakia.” Creane also took a Russian language class in her senior year at Trinity and has recently been learning Slovak. “Now language learning is something I’m really interested in and enjoy,” she said.

Katz said that Creane was a deeply engaged student who produced thoughtful and creative work. “What set her apart was not simply her willingness to learn a new language, but her understanding that language learning is ultimately about understanding people,” Katz said. “She recognized that learning a language means learning to see the world through another culture’s perspective, and she embraced that challenge with genuine curiosity and humility. Those qualities will make her not only an outstanding English teacher, but also an exceptional Fulbright ambassador.”

In addition to having the support of faculty members, Creane received a letter of recommendation for the Fulbright grant from Lee Reese, a senior software engineer at New Era Technology, where she completed an internship while at Trinity. “He has been such a huge support both in this Fulbright and for my employment, and I’m really grateful that Trinity works so hard to provide their students with opportunities to build connections like that,” Creane said.

Creane studied in South Korea for a semester during her time at Trinity and wants to continue learning more about other cultures as a Fulbright ETA. “The cultural exchange aspect—the idea of really becoming a part of the community in another country, meeting new people, and building relationships with people with different backgrounds—is a big part of the appeal for me, as well,” she said. In the Slovak Republic, Creane hopes to help increase technology literacy, possibly by working with different generations of people at a local community center.

Following her time teaching English through Fulbright, Creane sees herself working in the tech field again. “But I definitely am looking to combine that with other interests of mine; I’d really love to get into education software or education technology,” she said. “I think that having more experience in the education space with Fulbright will help with whatever I decide to do next.”