Travis Ray

Travis Ray has earned a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant to teach English in La Rioja, Spain.

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program offers research, study and teaching opportunities in more than 140 countries to recent graduates and graduate students. Administered in the U.S. by the Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the Fulbright program was established in 1946 to promote international goodwill through education and cultural exchange.

“Throughout college, I often looked for different groups and activities that could serve as “résumé boosters.” Though the Fulbright Award is perhaps my highest achievement, paradoxically, it’s also something that I pursued because I wanted to do it and not for my résumé. And so, I’m thrilled to have been selected."

Collegiate Experience

• Areas of Study:

  • Graduated in May,2020 with degrees in biology and Spanish

  Additional Awards:

  • Guaranteed Entrance into Medical School (GEMS)

Inspired By

I’d really say that every professor I had in the Spanish department was incredibly helpful in terms of both teaching me the language and furthering my passion for the language. If I had to isolate two examples, I would say Professor Berta Calvert, who, during spring of my freshman year, was the first person to encourage me to pursue a major in Spanish, and Regina Roebuck, who co-directed a study abroad program to Spain that first piqued my interest in international travel. Certainly, without both of them and their encouragement, I would not have even applied for the Fulbright Award and I’m incredibly grateful for their support.

Hometown Information

• Hometown:

  Shepherdsville, KY

• High school:

  Bethlehem High School, Bardstown, KY (2016)

• Parents:

  Ron and Debbie Ray of Shepherdsville, KY