Sydney Sneed, a graduate of Auburn University (2019) and the University of Alabama at Birmingham (2022), has been awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship (ETA) to Mexico.
Following her undergraduate studies, Sydney moved to Birmingham, Alabama, where she began teaching Spanish at Mountain Brook Junior High School while pursuing a Master of Arts in Education in Spanish and ESOL at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. During her time at UAB, she was recognized with the Promising New Teacher Award from the Alabama World Language Association and UAB’s Outstanding Graduate Student Award. In addition to her teaching and graduate work, she demonstrated her continued commitment to language access by offering free adult English classes through the 100 Oaks Community Center in Fultondale. 
Driven by her passion for supporting English learners, Sydney later accepted a position at Pearl Junior High School near Jackson, Mississippi, where she currently teaches both ESOL and Spanish. In just two years, her impact in the classroom and community earned her recognition as Pearl Public School District Teacher of the Year and placement among Rankin County’s Top 10 Educators. During her time in Pearl, she has organized after-school tutoring for English learners, facilitated language exchange programs between high school Spanish students and junior high ESOL students, offered free community English classes, and coordinated clothing drives for families in need.
Sydney’s dedication to her students extends far beyond the classroom. Through her work, she has built strong relationships with students and their families, often serving in multiple roles: as a teacher, translator, advocate, and trusted support system. Throughout her seven years in education, she considers advocacy to be her most important role.
Her students represent a wide range of cultural backgrounds, with many coming from Mexico. Through her experience, she has observed a gap between students’ expectations of schooling in the United States and the realities they encounter. This insight inspired her to apply for the Fulbright Program.
The Fulbright Program is a prestigious international exchange initiative designed to promote mutual understanding between nations. As an English Teaching Assistant in Mexico, Sydney will work alongside local educators to support English instruction, facilitate conversation practice, and engage in cultural exchange.
Sydney hopes to use this opportunity to gain firsthand insight into the Mexican educational system and community life so that she can better support immigrant students upon her return to the United States. She is especially interested in learning new instructional strategies from Mexican educators that she can incorporate into her future classrooms.
In addition to her teaching responsibilities, Sydney plans to develop a supplemental project focused on English for Specific Purposes. By examining local industries, she aims to design targeted English instruction (such as English for Hospitality in tourism-based regions) to expand employment opportunities, strengthen communication, and empower individuals with practical, career-focused language skills.
Following her Fulbright experience, Sydney plans to return to the United States with a deeper understanding of international educational systems. Her long-term goal is to conduct research comparing learning experiences across countries, helping educators better support students as they transition into U.S. schools.
Sydney expresses deep gratitude to Dr. Michelle Cook for guidance throughout the Fulbright application process, as well as to the faculty and mentors who supported her journey, including Dr. Susan Spezzini, Dr. Josephine Prado, Dr. Daniel Vergara, and Mrs. Jessie Creech.