Long Branch Woman Receives Fulbright Scholarship

WEST LONG BRANCH – A Long Branch resident has recently been awarded a prestigious Fulbright scholarship and will be heading to the Czech Republic this August to teach English.

Victoria Cattelona, a graduate student in the accelerated Master of Arts in Teaching program at Monmouth University along with a graduate assistant to the University’s Institute for Global Understanding (IGU), has been awarded a 2021-2022 Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in the Czech Republic from the U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.

“I am immeasurably thrilled to have learned that I am a finalist!” Cattelona said in a university press release.

“I am still processing the news, and I expect that I will not truly believe it until I am on the plane in August. I am also grateful to have the chance to represent Monmouth University and the Jersey Shore while serving as a cultural ambassador for the United States.”

While in the Czech Republic, Cattelona will not only be teaching English but will also be hosting events that promote cultural exchange between the U.S. and the Czech Republic, including a club for current events, mock elections, and debates to complement the country's fall legislative elections along with screenings of American political films.

"As a Fulbright Scholar, on behalf of all my faculty colleagues and fellow Fulbrighters, I congratulate Victoria on receiving this prestigious award. That Victoria has been named a Fulbright awardee in this extraordinarily challenging year is testimony to her determination and commitment, and the excellent education and mentorship she has received at Monmouth,” Monmouth University Interim Provost Rekha Datta said in the press release.