A UI graduate will travel to Taiwan to learn how to better assist international students in the United States.
By Denise Cheeseman
Kelsey O’Donnell is always on the move.
From her volunteer work with Bridging Domestic and Global Diversity in the International Studies Office to her internship with the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council, she keeps herself busy while expanding on what she learned as a double major in international studies and anthropology.
This fall, O’Donnell, a University of Iowa alum, will travel to Kinmen, Taiwan, to teach English to elementary-school students on a Fulbright scholarship.
But her road to Taiwan was not always clear.
“When I first decided to apply for the Fulbright, I actually didn’t know where I was going to apply to,” O’Donnell said. “I was more attracted to the goals of the Fulbright Program: the mutual exchange, the immersive experience … you’re living with the locals, like the locals, you’re immersed in the language. I thought it would just be a great experience.”
Her volunteer work and friendships with international students, many of whom were from China or Taiwan, prompted her to focus on those countries.
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Even after that first major decision, however, O’Donnell had to clear the hurdle of completing her application.
She wrote copious drafts of each essay, even winning the contest among Iowa’s 41 Fulbright applicants this year for the most drafts written, UI Fulbright adviser Karen Wachsmuth said.
“It was a testament to [O’Donnell’s] steadfastness and the diligent effort that she put forth for this application,” Wachsmuth said.
“You have to learn … how everything you’ve done in your life has tied together to lead to this moment,” O’Donnell said. “It’s a lot of work, but it’s worth it.”
That work included studying Mandarin Chinese, the official language of Taiwan. O’Donnell said the international students she worked with were a big help.
“I’ve learned so much from other students from other countries,” she said. “They can teach you a different language; they can teach you different traditions or different cultural things that they experience that we just don’t have here, and I think that brings a lot of joy and life to campus rather than having just everyone be the same.”
One day, O’Donnell plans to be an adviser for international students at a U.S. university.
“That’s one of the reasons why I think this Fulbright Program will be such a benefit to me, because I can learn from the Taiwanese people, learn about their language and culture, and then bring back what I learn and be able to help international students who come to the United States to study or to work,” she said.
Ed Zastrow, the executive director of the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council and O’Donnell’s supervisor, said she does an excellent job at providing a positive environment for international students.
“She’s just very gracious, nonjudgmental,” he said. “She’s eager to assist.”
Part of what made O’Donnell a wonderful candidate for the Fulbright, Zastrow said, was her extensive international travel, including a year spent studying abroad in Cork, Ireland.
Caitlin Yeggey, who was O’Donnell’s roommate during her time abroad in Ireland, wrote in an email that Kelsey continually inspires her to be a better, more productive person.
“She has genuine interest in exploring different people and places,” Yeggey said. “Her interest doesn’t stem from a desire to be perceived a certain way or to check a series of experiences off a bucket list — there is real passion behind her goals.”
