A Passport to Purpose: How Elena Bauer's Path Led from the ISP to a Fulbright

Content

Visit to a monastery in the mountains, wearing traditional Bhutanese clothing—the kira and tegu— in Thimphu, Bhutan in the Spring of 2024.

When Elena Bauer, Biology '25, first heard about the International Scholars Program (ISP) at UMass Amherst, she didn't know it would lead her to live in two countries thousands of miles from home.

Bauer’s study abroad story began when she received an email from Commonwealth Honors College inviting her to apply for the ISP. Having grown up traveling, she knew she wanted to study abroad. Bauer is an aspiring physician who envisioned that her career would be global in some way as well. 

“When I saw the ISP program, it really caught my eye because it felt like a way to synthesize or just expand my study abroad experience outside of just the period that I was traveling,” she said. 

Through the ISP, Bauer met other students from different majors she wouldn’t have met otherwise as a biology major and started looking at study abroad programs. 

First Steps: Madagascar Summer Program

Image

Bauer with her host brother and mother in Antananarivo, Madagascar, in the summer of 2023.

As a student in the ISP, Bauer ended up applying to a summer program in Madagascar that was focused on traditional medicine and healthcare systems in the summer between her sophomore and junior years. When reflecting on those six weeks, Bauer said she had a “phenomenal” experience. During the program, she learned she could handle going outside of her comfort zone, an experience that she would seek out again later when she decided to go to Bhutan for a full semester.

Through the ISP, she met with the International Programs Office (IPO) before the application deadline, and learned how to use the UMass Abroad portal, where students can search for programs, message their Education Abroad Advisors, complete application requirements, and more. She also met with her regional counselor at the IPO office to learn more about the program.

A Semester in Bhutan

When she was deciding where to go for a semester, she landed on Bhutan, which she thought was a unique place to live. While there, she took university classes in English, but also learned Dzongkha, one of Bhutan’s official languages. 

A view of the mountains and soccer field from Bauer’s dorm at Royal Thimphu College, Bhutan, in Spring 2024.

When asked about her experience in Bhutan, Bauer responded immediately, “I don’t regret it at all.” 

While she was the only UMass student and one of six international students total at the university, she felt like she got a rare opportunity to get to know the people and culture of Bhutan, whether it be observing the kira (or traditional dress) worn by people in everyday life, or admiring Bhutanese architecture. 

Unforgettable Moments in the Mountains

Bauer says she made an unforgettable memory during her time in Bhutan, when she went hiking with a fellow student in her program. Their trek brought them to a monastery that was at 10,000 feet in elevation. There, they encountered many young monks, who invited the students to play with them in the mountains. 

Image

Bauer sharing some educational books and school supplies with the monks, as they say their final goodbyes to each other in Thimphu, Bhutan in Spring of 2024.

“They were just so excited to show us their life—‘This is the lake, and here is our temple.' And things like ‘Let us show you this traditional prayer’. Honestly, one of the best moments of my life was playing with these young monks on this mountain in Bhutan,” Bauer recalls with a smile. 

Beginning the Journey to the Fulbright

While in Bhutan, Bauer applied for the Fulbright Program, a prestigious international exchange program. Bauer says that Madalina Akli, the director of the ISP and the Office of National Scholarship Advisement (ONSA), had encouraged her and other ISP students to apply, and given them important information about the programs and application process.

During the process, she received help from ONSA to ensure she presented herself as the best possible candidate. For Fulbright hopefuls, Bauer also recommends delving into the motivation behind applying for a specific country and being able to say why one is motivated to foster a connection between that country and the United States. 

“I think this is one of the most difficult things to navigate with college in general: you know the resources are out there but sometimes the first step of getting to them can be really challenging,” Bauer said. 

“I think that with ISP that everyone was working through it together. We had Madalina as our guide to connect us with the right resources. We were well taken care of with that.”

Being a Teacher as well as a Learner in Madagascar

Hoping to return to Madagascar, Bauer applied for the English teaching assistantship there.

Image

Learning about ceremonies in traditional medicine from a traditional healer outside of Antananarivo, Madagascar, in the summer of 2023.

“I thought, oh maybe I'll try to go somewhere else. But I was still really drawn to Madagascar, and I love kids. I’ve learned throughout my different study abroad experiences how important languages are as a tool of connecting with other people and how motivated people in different countries are to learn English,” she said. “I thought it would be a really nice way to connect with people to share this skill and ability. I'm really glad that I did end up applying for the English teaching assistantship because it has been really rewarding.”

Through the Fulbright program, Bauer is now working at schools as an English teaching assistant. She leads part of the lessons and also runs an English club at the high school she teaches at, working with a smaller group of students specifically interested in honing their English skills. She also teaches young adults at a cross-cultural center looking to use English in their professional lives. 

After reading The Cat in the Hat to her primary school class, Bauer’s students have become enamored with looking at every page of the book! Picture taken in Antsirabe, Madagascar in January of 2026.

While Bauer is often the teacher, she is also the student, learning Malagasy, the language spoken in Madagascar. 

“I think that if you know someone's language, you can figure out or you can better understand how they think and how their world is,” she said of her motivations to learn Malagasy.

Overall, she says her time abroad has fundamentally shaped her. 

Visiting Lake Tritriva, a stunning sacred lake outside of Antsirabe, Madagascar, in January of 2026.

“I feel like the first couple of times that I spent significant time abroad, I was learning how to be adaptable. And now I've realized that I am capable of that, and I can use that skill all the time,” Bauer reflected. “I'm motivated to continue working abroad in my future career and to put myself in new challenging situations.” 

Looking Ahead: A Global Future

In the future, Bauer hopes to go to medical school. She believes that her real-world experiences from study abroad will help her be a better applicant and ultimately a better doctor one day. She encourages anyone even remotely interested in studying abroad to go for it. Honors students interested in global issues and studying abroad should definitely consider applying for the ISP in the spring of their first year. Info sessions are available as a resource to learn more about this remarkable program, and the application form can be found on the CHC website.