A longtime dream of living abroad became a reality for Oceanside resident Jessica Davis, who headed to La Rioja, Spain, to spend the next year teaching English as a Fulbright scholar.
The opportunity will allow Davis, 22, to immerse herself in Spanish culture while helping students develop their English skills.
The Fulbright Program was established by the U.S. government in 1946, after World War II, with the goal of promoting international understanding and peace through educational and cultural exchange.
Through the program, U.S. citizens — including students, teachers, professionals, scientists and artists — receive scholarships or grants to study, conduct research or teach abroad. Citizens of other countries can also qualify to do the same in the United States. The program provides 8,000 grants annually.
Davis learned about the program from one of her professors at SUNY Oneonta. At first, she said, she did not think becoming a Fulbright scholar was attainable for her.
But that changed after her first trip to Spain.
“Once I went to Spain for the first time, that passion for seeing more of the country, learning more, and just traveling and being more of a global citizen just sparked,” Davis said.
Subsequently, Davis applied through SUNY Oneonta, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and adolescent mathematics education, with a minor in Spanish in 2026.
“When you first apply, it wasn’t anything like a college application, which really surprised me,” Davis said. “It was a lengthy process, with a lot of written statements. I had to write on a lot of different topics, like the skills that would be required to embark on a journey like this.”
The application was submitted in October 2025, and Davis learned in January that she had been selected as a semifinalist.
Because of the large number of applicants, she was then asked to submit a video in place of an interview. By mid-May, she had learned that she was a finalist, contingent on completing government requirements and background checks.
The wait to receive a final decision was difficult, not only for Davis but also for her family. Her mother, Karen Davis, a teacher at Lincoln Orens Middle School in Island Park, said she watched her daughter question whether she had made the correct choice in pursuing the opportunity.
“It was difficult to watch Jess question if she made the right decision,” her mother said. “There were no guarantees and her plan bs could not solidify.”
Jessica Davis said she had to turn down or walk away from other opportunities while waiting to learn whether she would ultimately go to Spain.
“You don’t know what you’re going to be doing a year from now, so it was scary at the time to put so much pressure on this,” she said.
Though the wait was uncertain, Karen Davis remained optimistic that her daughter would ultimately be selected.
“Jess received news that she was accepted a month later than we anticipated,” she said. “The extra wait time made things a little more dramatic, but in all honesty, I was very confident that she would be selected. She worked so hard for this opportunity and put her all into every part of the application process.”
Looking back on the process, Jessica Davis described it as “stressful but entirely worth it. I just have such an overwhelming feeling of gratitude,” she said.
Davis left for Spain on Sept. 3 to begin her teaching assignment.
She will work 20 hours a week at a secondary school, where she will assist in English classes as well as bilingual science and math courses. The students she works with will range from seventh through 10th grades.
As the only Fulbright English teaching assistant at her school in Spain, she will help support students who already have a foundation in English while also bringing her own experiences and perspective into the classroom.
For Karen Davis, her daughter’s journey represents the value of both education and experiences beyond the classroom.
“As an educator, I know the value of education and life experiences,” she said. “As her mom, on a more selfish level, I will miss her terribly. This is an opportunity for her to spread her wings and fly. I think that’s what every parent wishes for their child.”
For Jessica Davis, the opportunity represents more than a year abroad.
“It just means the world to me,” she said. “It also means a lot to know that I’ll hopefully be inspiring kids over there as well, showing them it’s a reality.”
She will also be working with Reach the World — a non-profit that connects K-12 students, global travelers and explorers through digital virtual exchange programs — to share her experiences with classrooms back home in the United States.
She said she hopes her experience will show others that international opportunities are attainable, even when the path toward them can be uncertain.
“Opportunities like this, they exist,” Jessica Davis said, “if you really set your mind to something. Just keep the faith and be patient.”
