Nick Hagen ’26 awarded a Fulbright ETA grant to Taiwan
Nick Hagen ’26, who double majored in history and East Asian studies and is from Columbia, South Carolina, has won a Fulbright U.S. Student Program English Teaching Assistantship (ETA) grant to conduct research and teach English in Taiwan for the 2026-2027 academic year.
Fulbright fellows receive round-trip travel to their host countries, a living stipend, project allowances and medical insurance. Connecticut College has had 35 winners in the last eight years.
During his Fulbright year in Taiwan, Hagen plans to form a language cafe and music club to collaboratively share American culture and create spaces for cultural exchange.
Hagen’s experiences studying abroad in Taiwan and his passion for teaching sparked his interest in pursuing a Fulbright grant. His coursework focused on traditional Mandarin, Chinese history and Taiwanese culture. He said a class on Taiwanese history impacted him the most. “It offered me a profound understanding of Taiwan’s cultural landscape and history, culminating in a research paper on Taiwanese language repression that forced me to deepen my understanding of Taiwan.”
After his study abroad program ended, he stayed in Taiwan and tutored students for the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) exam. “This experience revealed a passion for teaching, and I found my language skills and ability to connect could be used to meaningfully help people and bridge cultural divides,” Hagen said.
Hagen views his upcoming Fulbright year “as both a continuance of my academics and a chance I’d otherwise not have had to do something interesting. I took the LSAT and I’m planning on applying to law school following the conclusion of my grant to work toward a career in international law. The cross-cultural communication and building of mutual understanding offered by Fulbright is foundational for that career.”
Connecticut College offers a wide range of fellowship opportunities for students and recent graduates. For more information, visit The Walter Commons or email fellowships@conncoll.edu.
