{"id":14493,"date":"2026-05-07T13:01:38","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T18:01:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/?p=14493"},"modified":"2026-05-07T13:01:38","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T18:01:38","slug":"zair-hashi-26-receives-fulbright-to-teach-in-uruguay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/2026\/05\/07\/zair-hashi-26-receives-fulbright-to-teach-in-uruguay\/","title":{"rendered":"Zair Hashi \u201926 receives Fulbright to teach in Uruguay"},"content":{"rendered":"

Augsburg University is proud to announce that psychology major Zair Hashi \u201926 has been selected as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant to Uruguay for 2026\u201327. The English Teaching Assistant (ETA) Programs place Fulbrighters in classrooms abroad to provide assistance to the local English teachers, while serving as cultural ambassadors for the U.S. \u201cWinning a Fulbright can be life-changing, opening up new experiences, connections, and opportunities,\u201d said Jacqueline deVries, professor of history and Augsburg\u2019s Fulbright program advisor.<\/span><\/p>\n

While Hashi\u2019s eventual professional goal is to pursue a Ph.D. in pediatric neuropsychology, he\u2019s drawn to teaching and mentoring young people and sees this opportunity in Uruguay to provide invaluable experience in a global environment. \u201c<\/span>For me, this opportunity connects directly to my long-term interest in understanding how culture and environment shape the brain and behavior, especially in clinical settings,\u201d Hashi said. \u201cI see it as a chance to step outside of a purely academic perspective and actually learn from a different system and community in a real, grounded way.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Hashi became particularly interested in Uruguay\u2019s program when he first learned about the country\u2019s strong<\/span>\u00a0educational system, varied population, and cultural life during a Spanish class he took three years ago. He appreciates Uruguay\u2019s commitment to providing free, compulsory education and the programs designed to meet students\u2019 technological needs across the country. He\u2019s eager to learn more about the country\u2019s traditions and festivals highlighting different aspects of Uruguayan culture. \u201cSeeing Uruguay create and nurture spaces that celebrate identity and community reflects values I also admire in the United States,\u201d Hashi said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

As a child of immigrant parents, Hashi said he empathizes with students from diverse backgrounds and can <\/span>adapt his teaching style to create an inclusive learning environment, even in another country. He <\/span>grew up in the Twin Cities suburbs, playing sports, joining clubs, and volunteering. When his family traveled to Kenya to take care of his ill grandmother, Hashi adapted to a Kenyan classroom with different expectations and cultural norms. As a Muslim student attending a Christian-affiliated university, interfaith understanding has been part of his everyday life. Additionally, English is Hashi\u2019s second language; he remembers what it was like to learn more than one language during childhood and expects to bring aspects of that experience to his time in Uruguay, especially as he learns from the students in his classrooms.<\/p>\n

\u201cI aim to be a living example to them that there isn’t just one way to learn a language,\u201d Hashi said. \u201cIn return, I hope they can show me their language and their culture. I hope they can share with me the joys of Spanish outside my textbooks and share with me Uruguayan culture so that I can enjoy it with them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Hashi made a strong impression on Augsburg\u2019s Campus Committee Evaluation team\u2014a group of academic professionals who recommended him for the ETA program. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cZair Hashi is one of the most delightful students I have met in my 30 years of teaching,\u201d deVries said. \u201cEvery encounter with him reveals a new story and layer of experience, all of which he recounts with joyful enthusiasm. He is an excellent student, but even more, he brings a collaborative spirit. Zair listens to those around him and seeks to understand.\u201d <\/span>Established in 1946 as an investment in global peace and American prosperity through educational and cultural exchange, the prestigious Fulbright Program has provided nearly 450,000 students, scholars, scientists, professionals, teachers, scientists, and artists with opportunities to study, conduct research, and teach in over 160 countries and territories around the world. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Learn more<\/span><\/a> about Augsburg\u2019s strong record of Fulbright awardees over the years.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Augsburg University is proud to announce that psychology major Zair Hashi \u201926 has been selected as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant to Uruguay for 2026\u201327. The English Teaching Assistant (ETA) Programs place Fulbrighters in classrooms abroad to provide assistance to the local English teachers, while serving as cultural ambassadors for the U.S. \u201cWinning a Fulbright <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":14494,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[241],"tags":[176,257,243,258,256],"class_list":["post-14493","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-fulbright","tag-fulbright-scholars","tag-kudos","tag-students","tag-uruguay"],"wps_subtitle":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14493","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14493"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14493\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14499,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14493\/revisions\/14499"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14494"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14493"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14493"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14493"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}