Heading East: MATC Instructor Awarded Fulbright Grant to Teach in Taiwan

I loved the students at MATC. I found their writing much richer because many students had experienced more of life.

Emma Fecteau didn’t teach at Milwaukee Area Technical College for long, but she loved every minute of it.

She served as a part-time instructor during the 2025-26 academic year, teaching required English courses to students who ranged from recent high school graduates to senior citizens. 

“Working at MATC was one of my favorite jobs,” Fecteau said. “I loved the students at MATC. I found their writing much richer because many students had experienced more of life.”

Her next teaching gig certainly will be a little different.

In April, Fecteau received a Fulbright U.S. Student Program award to work as a teaching assistant in Taiwan during the 2026–27 academic year. 

She will assist in classrooms of elementary and middle school students in Kaohsiung, the largest city in southern Taiwan and the island’s third most populous city with 2.7 million people. Kaohsiung is located on the Pacific Ocean, along the Taiwan Strait to the west and the Bashi Channel to the south. The predominant language there is Mandarin, which Fecteau has been learning for the past several years.

“The best way to learn Mandarin is to go where Mandarin is spoken everywhere and every day,” she said. 

Her impending adventure also will be somewhat of a homecoming for Fecteau. She was born in central China, adopted by an American couple and came to the United States when she was 11 months old.

“I hope I have the opportunity to use some time off from teaching to take a detour and head into China,” Fecteau said. “I have been trying to go to China for a long time. I see this as a way to reconnect with my heritage.”

As she grew up, Fecteau’s family moved frequently because of her father’s work. She was raised in Green Bay, Wisc., and attended high school in North Carolina. During that time, she produced several fantasy and science fiction books. 

“I always wanted to write fiction,” she said. 

After high school, she attended Indiana University and earned a bachelor’s degree in media advertising in May 2023. She returned to Wisconsin to attend Marquette University, where she received a master’s degree in English in May 2025.

While still writing and studying Mandarin, her interests broadened. She considered becoming an emergency medical technician and enrolled at MATC. She did well in the classes but failed a lifting test and left the program. She began looking at jobs available at MATC and applied to be an English instructor.

“It seemed like a good fit for me,” she said.

She started teaching in August 2025. She led weekly lectures and fostered student discussion on a wide range of topics including cultural studies, essay writing, and media and literature. She had students examine and critically analyze speeches, literature, film and social media. 

“I worked to make the course content accessible to all students,” she said. “I tried to not emphasize grammar and editing but instead focus on helping my students become great communicators.”

In October 2025, she applied for the Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Program, which places recent graduates and young professionals in overseas schools. Nearly 1,000 people applied for the program, Fecteau said. She was named a semifinalist and, in April, was told she was one of 150 recipients.

In all this year, nearly 2,000 recent college graduates, graduate students and early career professionals received grants from the various Fulbright programs to pursue graduate study, conduct research or teach English in schools abroad each year, according to the Fulbright organization. 

One of the letters of recommendation she submitted in her application came from Dr. Ronald Clohessy, chairperson of MATC’s English department and a mentor in the college’s teacher education program.

Fecteau is a “thoughtful, adaptable, and highly skilled educator,” Dr. Clohessy wrote in his letter. 

“She teaches both developmental and college-level courses with clarity, patience, and an ability to meet students where they are while guiding them toward higher skill and confidence,” he wrote. “Emma creates student-centered, engaging environments, connects course content to students’ lived experiences, and adapts thoughtfully to varied classroom dynamics. 

“Reflective, collaborative, and committed to continuous growth, Emma combines professional expertise with humility and curiosity,” Dr. Clohessy wrote.

Fecteau’s curiosity and varied interests made her an exceptional applicant for this Fulbright grant, added Dr. Karalee Surface, Fulbright program advisor and fellowships coordinator at Marquette. 

“She has demonstrated a really far-ranging sense of curiosity about everything from environmentalism to ‘Golden Age’ Hollywood films to training in an EMT program while pursuing her graduate studies in English,” she said. “These interests will help her connect with and learn in her host community.”

Between now and boarding her 14-hour flight to Taiwan, she has been applying for visas, completing paperwork and getting all necessary medical clearances.

She plans to arrive in Taiwan on August 1. She will train for a month and begin work in September. Fecteau plans to use her opportunity to immerse herself in Mandarin, learn Taiwanese and Chinese culture, travel to her hometown, and perhaps find some inspiration for the next chapter of her life.

“I have always wanted to live abroad,” she said. “I hope to use this to find something to research. I have become interested in international education and international affairs. I’m not sure what I’m going to do after this, but this is certainly an exciting time for me.”