Wendy Schuessler Bryan’s (’73) love for travel developed when she was young, traveling often with her parents. It wasn’t until she was studying elementary education at the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD), that she realized how much her experiences in other countries had an impact.
“Traveling with my parents was really special to me. I think of it often,” she said. “I didn’t have the appreciation when I was younger. By the time I got to college, I realized what I had growing up was different. It really influenced me.”
Bryan’s experiences teaching abroad after college further inspired her to create the UMD International Student Teaching Scholarship, helping expand this beneficial experience to more students. “My time living overseas was such an integral and life-changing experience that I felt strongly about seeing other students have the same advantage,” she said.
Bryan’s father was a University of Minnesota professor, and, among her many travel opportunities when she was young, she went with her parents during his two full-year sabbaticals abroad.
When she became a teacher herself, Bryan made a five-year plan, which included moving overseas to teach. She was offered positions in Holland, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela. After spending a year teaching kindergarten at the International School of Rotterdam in Holland, Bryan accepted an offer from Exxon to teach fifth grade in Venezuela, where she met her husband.
The pair moved to California before returning overseas to Cairo, Egypt, where Bryan spent three years teaching at the Cairo American College.
“While teaching abroad, I saw American college students doing their student teaching and saw how energized and motivated the entire living abroad experience was for them,” Bryan said. She shared both her experience and desire with UMD, and they worked together to create this scholarship.
While Bryan has seen many countries and parts of the world, she understands there are barriers for some students to have similar opportunities. She hopes the UMD International Student Teaching Scholarship will remove hurdles and help make those journeys a reality for more students.
Bryan finds it gratifying to help students find a means to teach abroad. She has received several reports and photos from the scholarship recipients expressing how their time abroad is helping them better understand their hopes and dreams.
“I really love reading the responses. They are just so appreciative and you can really glean from them how much they have grown,” she said. “It is my hope that the recipients have expanded their views of the world and that these experiences can be reflected in their classrooms.”
Header image caption: Wendy Bryan and her class celebrate International Day at Escuela Simon Bolivar in Venezuela.