formerly Veronica Pidduck
Finding treasure in everyday life.
As a founding Fulbright Grantee for the Lithuania program, I had the opportunity to spend two years living and working in Lithuania as an English Teaching Assistant (ETA) and partner of the U.S. Embassy in Lithuania and the U.S. Department of State.
Based in Visaginas, a predominately Russian district of strategic importance to the U.S. Embassy’s mission, my initial assignment was instructing 2nd to 8th grade English at the Gerosios Vilties School. After accepting an invitation to serve a second term, I returned to teach at the Visaginas Technical High School. Throughout the two years, I also led English lessons for the Lithuanian State Border Guard Service at the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant, local administrators and leaders, senior citizens from the University of the Third Age, and other interested community members.
In addition to teaching, I launched the city’s first annual Spelling Bee in affiliation with the Lithuanian National Spelling Bee, founded the Visaginas Voices English choir, and organized town events to strengthen both English language skills and the relationship between citizens of our countries. Similarly, I participated in a variety of Lithuanian activities including the Krusnė Folklore Ensemble, the church choir, and Lithuanian language lessons.
Over the course of my two terms with Fulbright, I developed a presentation titled “Finding Treasure” which I gave at several speaking events. While in Europe, I was invited to guest lecture in multiple countries, judge national English essay and video competitions, attend international media literacy conferences, and sometimes serve as a plenary speaker.
Since returning home, I have stayed involved with Fulbright as a program alumna by mentoring new grantees and presenting at conferences, including the 2019 Fulbright Association Conference where I shared a poster version of my “Finding Treasure” talk and hosted a roundtable discussion.
See also:
US EMBASSY: Ambassador Hall Remarks at the Reception Honoring U.S. participants in Exchange Programs
FULBRIDGE: ETA Spotlight: Veronica Pidduck, Lithuania
STEVENS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY: Stevens Senior Secures Prestigious Fulbright Award
PATCH: Stevens Continues to Be a Top School for ROI
VERSLI MAMA: Visaginas family dinner: Veronica, who has Lithuanian roots, teaches English to the citizens
After receiving my Certificate of Eligibility (CE), I accepted a contract to teach Algebra II Honors, Algebra II, and Geometry to high school students.
As a TA I conducted recitations, quizzes, review sessions, office hours, workshops, and problem sessions for the MA-121/122 classes. Furthermore, I proctored and graded exams, recorded class grades, and maintained communication with the professors, graders, students, and other teaching assistants. Working closely with the Stevens Calculus professors and the Academic Support Center, I prepared review sessions for students and conducted large lecture review sessions open to all students.
After my inaugural summer with the program, I transitioned into a leadership position where I trained TCRAs, met with professors, planned events, and instructed the Trigonometry and Special Topics course (2016). As my role evolved, I accepted an offer to teach the advanced curriculum lectures: Pre-Calculus (2017-23) and Probability & Statistics (2019-23).
In this role, I provided guidance to undergraduate students by tutoring, organizing evening and weekend excursions, and maintaining residence hall safety. Outside the core lectures, TCRAs are responsible for facilitating a positive program experience and working with school administrators to achieve student success.