LEWISBURG — An alumnus of Lewisburg Area High School will spend 10 months teaching English in Greece through the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship program.
Michael Tiffin, of Teach For America, was selected by the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board as one of 13 Fulbright scholars out of 12,000 applicants. Tiffin is a 2019 graduate of Lewisburg Area School District and a 2023 graduate of Emory University in Atlanta, where he was an English and creative writing joint major with a religion minor. He teaches English language learners from El Salvador and Honduras in Virginia.
“It hasn’t really sunk in yet that I’ll get to live in Athens,” Tiffin said. “Living in Greece has been a goal of mine for a very long time. Honestly, it still hasn’t sunk all the way in that I will actually be living in Greece for almost a year.”
Tiffin, the son of Mary Tiffin, of Winfield, and the late David Tiffin, will teach at Athens College in Greece from September until July. He will teach English at the secondary level and then provide college counseling to Greek high schoolers, helping them specifically apply to universities in the United States.
Tiffin, who has Greek ancestry, has traveled to the country in the past to write. He is a lover of Greek and Roman antiquity. He hopes to connect with his roots while staying there.
The presidentially appointed 12-member Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board is responsible for supervising the Fulbright programs worldwide and approving the selection of all Fulbright recipients. The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs oversees the program.
“Your grant is a reflection of your leadership and contributions to society,” Chair Jed Katz wrote in a letter to Tiffin. “It is made possible through funds appropriated annually by the U.S. Congress and, in many cases, by contributions from partner countries and private parties.”
Tiffin applied for the program and went through several rounds of interviews. He speaks English, Spanish and Greek.
The Fulbright Program is devoted to increasing mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. Fulbright is the world’s largest and most diverse international education exchange program, Katz said.
Tiffin will join the ranks of “many distinguished program recipients,” including heads of state, judges, ambassadors, cabinet ministers, CEOs, university presidents, journalists, artists, scientists and teachers. They include 62 Nobel laureates, 95 Pulitzer Prize winners, 82 MacArthur fellows and thousands of leaders across the private, public and nonprofit sectors, Katz said.
Since its inception in 1946, more than 400,000 people have participated in the program.
Tiffin has the opportunity to work collaboratively with international partners in educational, political, cultural, economic and scientific fields while engaging in the local community. Tiffin is encouraged to exemplify the qualities of service, leadership and excellence, which are the hallmarks of the program, Katz said.
Tiffin’s family is proud of him.
“I’m the mother of three sons, and I’m proud of all of my sons for all of their accomplishments, but this was always something that Michael was really working toward,” Mary Tiffin said. “When you know that they’ve achieved a goal, it gives you just so much pride. I’m just so happy for him. He’s an incredibly hard worker, but also a very humble person. He’s probably the hardest academic worker I’ve ever met.”